The  Cambridge  of  1776. 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


O 


Theatrum  Majorum. 

The  Cambridge  of  1776: 

Wherein  is  fet  forth  an  Account  of  the  Town,  and  of  the 
Events  it  Witneffed  : 

WITH  WHICH  IS  INCORPORATED 

THE  DIARY   OF  DOROTHY   DUDLEY, 

Now  fir/I  pub  lift  d  ; 

Together  with  an  Hi/loricall  Sketch  ;  Severall  Appropriate 
POEMS  ;  Numerous  Anecdotes,  patriotick,  weighty, 
indifferent,  and   diverting ;    Many   Refer- 
ences to  the  RENOWNED  UNIVERSITY; 
and  Defcriptions  of  the  People 
of  the  Olden   Time. 

All  of  which  is  adapted  to  the  furtherance  of  Good  Manners, 

Virtue,  Piety,  Intelligence,  Love  of  Country,  and 

ADMIRATION   OF  CAMBRIDGE. 

Done  by  Divers  Eminent  Hands,  and 
Edited  for  the 

Ladies  Centennial  Committee  by  A.  G. 

Hie  manus,  ob  patriam  pugtiando  vulnera  paj/i 
Quiqite  pii  vales,  et  Piicebo  digna  locnti:  • 

Inventas  aut  qui  vitam  excoluere  per  artes, 
Quiqne  fui  memores  alios  fecere  meretnfo.  —  VIRG.  . 

Qua fugittnt,  celeri  carpite  poma  manit.  —  OVID., 


SHrornrtr  totti)  Cuts  autr  a 


CAMBRIDGE : 

Printed  on  the  Site  of  Fort  Number  One :  Over  againft  the 
Town  of  Brighton,  on  the  Rivers  Side.  To  be  fold  in  Bos- 
ton by  Lockwood,  Brooks,  and  Company,  on  WaJJiington  and 
Brom field  Streets. 

M  D  CCC  LXX  VI. 


The  Ladies  find  that  the  Latin  title  of  this  Volume  contains  an  Intimation 
that  the  Book  is  a  Stage  on  which  our  Ancestors  (those  who  have  "gone  over  to  the 
Majority")  are  the  Actors. 

The  Quotation  from  Virgil  proves  to  have  been  taken  from  a  Description  of  Ely- 
sium, and  is  therefore  eminently  appropriate  in  its  place.  One  learned  in  tongues 
translates  it  thus  :  "  Here  is  a  Company  of  Heroes  who  were  wounded  fighting  for 
their  Country;  of  pious  Bards  who  sung  in  strains  worthy  of  Apollo  ;  of  those  who 
have  improved  human  Life  by  the  Arts  they  have  invented  ;  and  those  who  have 
by  their  services  made  other  men  cherish  their  memory." 

The  Line  from  Ovid  conveys  the  following  admonition  :  "  Pluck  with  quick  Hand 
the  Fruit  that  is  passing  away." 

Organization  of  the  Ladies'  Centennial  Committee,  of  Cambridge,  Mass. 

MRS.  THOMAS  P.  JAMES,  Chairman. 

MRS.  J.  GARDNER  WHITE,  Treasurer. 

Miss  ALICE  M.  LONGFELLOW,  Secretary. 

MRS.  ANSON  BURLINGAME.  MRS.  GEORGE  LIVERMORE. 

MRS.  HENRY  DEXTER.  MRS.  HENRY  W.  PAINE. 

Miss  MARY  FELTON.  Miss  MARY  L.  PARMENTER. 

MRS.  JOHN  M.  FISKE.  MRS.  SAMUEL  B.  RINDGE. 

MRS.  C.  L.  HARDING.  MRS.  GEORGE  P.  SANGER. 

MRS.  HENRY  O.  HOUGHTON.  MRS.  EMORY  WASHUURN. 

Editor  for  the  Committee,  ARTHUR  GILMAN,  M.  A. 


Copyright,  1875, 
By  MARY  WILLIAMS  GREELY. 


College 
Library 


Advertisement  to  the  Reader, 

For  the  better  Illustration  and  Understanding  of  this  Book. 


^ENTLE  READER:  — This  little  Book  is  the  Fruit  of  a  Labour 
\^J  of  Love,  for  which  the  Writers  receive  no  Reward  but  that  filial 
Satisfaction  which  must  fill  the  virtuous  Heart  after  having  made  an 
earnest  Effort  to  do  Honour  to  the  Memory  of  the  Fathers,  and  to 
depict  the  Nobility  they  displayed  in  the  Struggle  for  Liberty. 

The  plan  of  commemorating  our  venerated  Ancestors  in  this  way 
(and  of  drawing  a  few  Dollars  into  the  Treasury  of  the  Ladies'  Cen- 
tennial Committee  of  Cambridge),  first  suggested  itself  to  Mrs,  George 
Livermore.  It  was  promptly  adopted  by  the  Committee,  and  the  Work 
was  delegated  to  the  present  Editor.  He  was  gratified  to  find  a  gen- 
eral Interest  in  the  Project,  and  the  Papers  comprising  this  Volume 
were  obtained  within  a  few  Weeks. 

The  wish  of  the  Editor,  and  his  Co-laborers,  has  been  to  present  a 
Picture  of  The  Cambridge  of  1776  ;  putting  the  Reader  in  Possession 
of  such  Facts  as  would  enable  him  to  realize  the  Feelings  of  our 
Fathers  ;  to  see  the  Streets  they  trod,  the  Churches  in  which  they 
worshipped,  the  Houses  in  which  they  dwelt ;  and,  in  some  Measure, 
to  appreciate  the  Trials  they  unflinchingly  endured. 

It  is  thought  that  this  little  Book  will  be  found  very  pleasant  for  all 
the  People  of  Cambridge  to  read,  and  most  necessary  to  remember. 
What,  indeed,  would  we  not  give  for  such  a  Volume  written  by  our 
Fathers  of  1776,  about  their  Fathers  of  1676  ?  What  will  tempt  our 
Children  of  1976  to  part  with  the  Copies  which  (after  committing  their 
Contents  to  Memory)  we  shall  bestow  in  our  Atticks  to  await  the  Morn 
of  their  hundredth  Year  ? 

But  the  Editor  believes  that  this  Memoir  of  the  Olifen  Time  will 
possess  an  Interest  for  many  Thousands  beyond  the  Limits  of  Cam- 


1005301 


iv  Advertisement  to  the  Reader. 

bridge,  whose  Ancestors  fought  in  the  Revolution,  as  well  as  for  all 
who  rejoice  in  the  Liberty  then  made  sure.  Can  Words  or  Figures 
express  the  Value  of  a  true  Record  of  a  Town  famed  as  the  first  Camp- 
ground of  the  Revolution  ;  renowned  for  its  ancient  University ;  and 
known  the  world  over  for  its  Poets,  Historians,  Novelists,  Men  of 
Science,  and  of  State-craft,  —  its  Winthrops,  Vassalls,  Brattles,  Bel- 
chers ;  its  Kirkland,  Sparks,  Everett,  Felton,  Agassiz ;  its  Longfellow,1 
Lowell,  Holmes,  Howells ;  its  Peabody,  Abbot,  Child ;  —  men  who 
will  ever  wear  Laurels  that  cannot  fade  ? 

It  can  be  said  of  our  beloved  Home  that  its  every  natural  Trait  has 
been  celebrated  in  Prose  or  Verse.  Not  to  enter  into  Detail,  it  may 
be  mentioned  that  Mr.  Longfellow  has  immortalized  its  Village  Smithy, 
and  its  Head- quarters  of  Washington  ;  Dr.  Holmes  and  Mr.  Lowell 
have  celebrated  its  Graveyard,  its  Marshes,  its  River,  its  Sidewalks 
and  Trees,  even  the  very  Dust  of  its  Streets,2  and  Mr.  Howells  sends 
its  Horse-cars  down  the  Track  of  the  Ages  to  the  perpetual  Delec- 
tation of  our  Children's  Children. 

When  Samuel  Punkas,  Master  of  Arts,  set  forth  his  Book  entitled, 
"A  Theatre  of  Politicall  Flying  Insects,  accompanied  by  Three  Cent- 
uries of  Observations  Theologicall  and  Morall,  drawn  from  the  Nature, 
the  Worth,  the  Work  and  the  Wonder  of  the  Bee''  he  used  Words  which 
the  present  Editor  adopts  as  his  own.  " Embroiderers"  said  Purchas, 
"of  Threds  of  divers  Colors  make  a  costly  and  delightful  Hanging:  So 
Writers  out  of  a  Thousand  Parcels,  an  uniform  and  agreeing  Body  ; 
whom  I  have  labored  to  imitate.  Where  I  have  failed  pardon  my  Weak- 
ness, and  accept  my  good  will.'1'' 

The  Ladies  and  their  Servant,  the  Editor,  desire  to  express  their 
cordial  Thanks 

To  President  Eliot;  Messrs.  F.  O.  Vaille  and  H.  A.  Clarke,  Editors 
of  the  "  Harvard  Book ;  "  Mr.  S.  A.  Drake ;  Messrs.  J.  R.  Osgood 
&  Co.,  and  Messrs.  H.  O.  Houghton  &  Co.,  for  the  free  Use  of  the 
Cuts  with  which  the  Volume  is  adorned ; 

To  Mr.  Sibley,  for  Courtesies  received  at  the  College  Library ; 

1  "  Long  days  be  his,  and  each  as  lusty-sweet, 
As  gracious  natures  find  his  song  to  be ; 
May  Age  steal  on  with  softly-cadenced  feet, 
Fal'ing  in  music,  as  for  time  were  meet. 

Whose  choicest  verse  is  harsher-toned  than  he ! "—Lowell. 
*  Sec  p^se  ' !°- 


Advertisement  to  the  Reader.  v 

To  the  Librarian  of  the  Essex  Institute,  at  Salem,  for  similar  kind 
Attentions  ; 

To  Mrs.  M.  C.  Sparks,  Miss  C.  L.  Donnison,  Miss  Mary  Howe, 
and  Others  for  the  Use  of  valuable  Letters ; 

To  the  present  Occupants  of  the  ancient  Houses,  for  Permission  to 
visit  and  describe  them  ; 

To  Mr.  Longfellow,  Mr.  Lowell,  and  Dr.  Holmes,  for  their  kind 
Permission  to  use  the  Extracts  from  their  Poems,  which  are  to  be 
found  in  the  Volume  ; 

To  Dr.  Peabocly,  Mr.  Howells,  Mr.  John  Holmes,  ,Mr.  Scudder,  Mr. 
Haskins,  Mr.  Lathrop,  Mrs.  Folsom,  and  Mrs.  James,  for  their  Con- 
tributions ; 

To  Miss  Mary  Williams  Greely,  for  the  untiring  Diligence,  and  sym- 
pathetic Zeal  with  which  she  has  laboured  in  consulting  historical  Au- 
thorities and  in  verifying  all  the  Details  of  the  entertaining  Diary 
of  Dorothy  Dudley,  and  in  preparing  it  for  the  Press  ; 

To  Mr.  Charles  Deane,  for  his  valuable  Aid  in  the  Verification  of 
important  Facts  and  Dates,  and  in  the  Examination  of  a  large  Portion 
of  the  Manuscript  of  this  Book  ; 

To  Mr.  Justin  A.  Jacobs,  the  long-time  City  clerk,  for  valuable  Aid  ; 

To  the  Reverend  Lucius  R.  Paige,  for  Information  and  Sugges- 
tions ;* 

To  Miss  Mary  Isabella  James,  for  collating  Authorities,  and  prepar- 
ing the  Map  which  illustrates  the  Volume  ;  and 

To  Messrs.  Lockwoocl,  Brooks,  &  Co.,  Booksellers  in  Boston,  for 
kindly  offering  to  sell  this  Book  without  the  usual  Commissions. 

It  only  remains  to  add  that  this  Memoir  is 

DEDICATED 

To  THE  PEOPLE  OF  CAMBRIDGE 
OF  1976. 

CAMBRIDGE,  Thanksgiving  Day,  1875. 

1  The  Editor  understands  that  Mr.  Paige  has  for  Years  had  in  Preparation  a  History  of  Oimbridge, 
the  Appearance  of  which  is  looked  for  with  much  Interest. 


The  Table 

Of  the  Contents  of  this  Book. 


PAGE 

I.   Sonnet.  —  Dorothy  Diidley.     By  William  D.  Howe  I  Is  ....       i 
II.   Sketch  of  the  History  of  Cambridge  from  its  Settlement  in  1631 

to  1776.     By  David  Greene  Haskins,  Jr. "3 

III.  The  Influence  of  Cambridge  in  the  Formation  of  the  Nation. 

By  Andrew  P.  Peabody,  D.  D 12 

IV.  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dudley,  from  April  iS//i, 

1775.  to  July  lyth,  1776. 

The  Battle  of  Lexington,  p.  18 —  The  Army  gathers  on  Cambridge 
Common,  p.  20 —  Citizens  leave  Boston,  p.  21  —  Ticonderoga,  p.  22  — 
Gage  offers  Pardon  to  all  but  Adams  and  Hancock,  p.  23  —  Battle  of 
Blinker  Hill 24 

Washington  appointed  Commander-in-chief,  p.  25  —  His  Appearance 

in  Cambridge,  p.  26  —  Fast  Day,  p.  27  —  Aaron  Burt Letter  to  Miss 

Livingstone,  p.  28  —  Cambridge  described,  p.  29  —  Dr.  Appleton  and  his 
poultry,  p.  31  —  John  Hancock  and  Dorothy  Quincy,  p.  32 — The 
Vassall  Houses,  p.  34  —  The  Expedition  to  Quebec,  p.  36  —  Dr.  Frank- 
lin in  Cambridge,  p.  37 — The  Traitor  Church 38 

Raising  a  new  Army,  p.  40 — British  Ships  captured,  p.  41  —  Mrs. 
John  Adams  in  Cambridge  —  Society  at  Major  Mifflin's,  p.  42  —  Gen. 
Lee  and  his  Dog —  Crime  in  Camp  — Letter  from  Washington,  p.  43  — 
Mrs.  Washington  arrives  in  Cambridge  —  Distress  of  the  Army  .  .  .  44 

Sketch  of  Harvard  College,  pp.  44-48  —  The  first  Graduate,  p.  44  — 
Eaton,  and  his  Misdeeds,  p.  45  —  President  Dunster,  'p.  45  —  Rules  of 
the  College — Library  increased,^ — The  College  visited  in  1680, /. 
47  —  Other  Presidents  —  Harvard  Hall  burned 48 

Christ  Church  opened  for  Service,  p.  49  —  The  Congregation  of  former 
Days  described,  50  —  Union  Flag  raized  on  Prospect  Hill,  p.  5 1  —  The 
Colonists  more  than  ever  united,  p.  52 — Faneuil  Hall  desecrated  — 
Friendly  Indians  in  Cambridge,  p.  63 — Fame's  "Common  Sense" 
issued 54 

The  unsuccessful  Expedition  to  Quebec,  p.  55 — A  reception  by  Mrs. 
Washington  —  Original  letter  of  Washington,  p.  56  — Games  of  Chance 


Table  of  Contents. 

prohibited  by  Washington,  p.  57  —  The  Soldiers'1  Rations  —  Desire  of 
Washington  to  attack  Boston,  p.  58  —  Dorchester  Heights  occupied  - 
Fast  Day  appointed,  p.  59  —  Boston  evacuated  by  Gen.  Howe  —  Boston 
open  to  All,  p.  60  —  Washington  congratulated  by  Congress,  p.  61  —  He 

attends  the  "  Thursday  Lecture  "  —  Leaves  Cambridge 62 

Miss  Dudley  visits  Boston,  p.  63  —  The  Hancock  House,  p.  64  — 
King's  Chapel— North  Church, p.  65  —  Copfs  Hill—Gov.  tiutchin- 
soJi's  Mansion,  p.  66  —  People  of  Note  in  Cambridge  in  1776,  J>.  67- 

A/airs  in  Boston,  again,  p.  70  —  Dr.  Byles 7 1 

A  drive  through  Cambridge,  p.  12—  The  •Meeting-House^  Court- 
House,  p.  73  —  President's  House,  Wiggles-worth  House,  Butler's  Hill, 
Inman  House,  p.  74  —  Phipps  House,  Bradish  Tavern,  Brattle  House, 
pt  75  _  The  five  College  Buildings,  Hastings  House,  The  Whiteficld 
Elm,  p.  76  —  Church  or  Tory  Row,  Belcher  House,  Vassall  House, 
p.  Tj  —  Sewall  House,  Lee  House,  p.  78  —  Ruggles  or  Fayerweather 

House,  Oliver  House       79 

Cambridge  anticipates  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  p.  80  —  Brit- 
ish Fleet  leaves  Boston,  p.  81  —  Students  return  from  Concord,  p.  82  — 
July  3</,  1776, /.  ^—Letters  of  Edmund  Quincy, p.  84  —  Independ- 
ence declared °7 

V.   The  Guests  at  Head-Quarters.     By  H.  E.  Scudder  .    .     . 
VI.    The  Batchelder  House,  and  its  Owners.   By  Mrs.  Isabella  James    93 
VI L   English  Letter  describing  the  Battle  of  Lexington.     Contributed 

by  Mrs.  M.  C.  Sparks I03 

VIII.   Letters  of  Edmund  Quincy.     Contributed  by  Miss  Donnison  .     .   IO6 
IX.    Verses  on  the  Scenery  of  Cambridge.     By  Mr.  Lowell  and  Dr. 

Holmes no 

X.    The  Old  Court  House.     By  John  Holmes i 

XI.   Lament  of  the  Weathercock  0/1776-     By  Mrs.  Charles  Folsom  .115 
XII.   Praise  of 'the  Past.     By  George  Parsons  Lathrop n? 

XIII.  Partial  List  of  A  uthorities  consulted  in  Preparing  this  Book  .     .119 

XIV.  Index I21 


List  of  Illustrations. 


i. 
ii. 
in. 

IV. 

V. 

VI. 

VII. 

VIII. 

IX. 

X. 

XI. 

XII. 

XIII. 

XIV. 

XV. 

XVI. 

XVII. 

XVIII. 


The  Harvard  Square  of 1776 Frontispiece. 

Map  of  the  Cambridge  of 1776 2 

The  Congregational  Church       i ! 

The  Washington  Elm 13 

The  Old  Presidents  House 16 

Portrait  of  General  Joseph  Warren 10 

The  Old  Parsonage,  built  in  1670 30 

Portrait  of  Samuel  Adams 33 

Cannon  used  before  Boston 41 

Hessian  Flag r-> 

Second  Hanmrd  Hall,  built  in  1766 54 

Hollis  Hall,  completed  in  1763 ,  61 

The  Wigglesworth  House 7, 

Holden  Chapel ,     .     ,  76 

The  Sewall-Riedesel  Mansion 78 

Stoughton  Hall.     (Taken  down  in  1780) 81 

The  Brattle  Arms OQ 

The  Belcher  Arms  . 


5D0rott)2  Stabler; 

Jfair  mataen,  tofinm  a  Ijtm&rrtr  Summers  6cep 
;jfnreber  Sebenteen,  antr  toijaSe  oarfc  locfcs 
<&vt  toljttrnelr  otilj?  from  tlje  jpatoUEr--60j:, 

tljo^c  manjj  iatnteriS :  on  tlje  itccp 
tyvfy'tytltti  Sfyatg,  ant  Jntt^  ttjc  Sttfecu 
Of  quaint  SrocatJe,  anil  an  arclj  ^mtlc  tfjat  mocftrf 
<£t  QZimt'S  IroSptte,  tijy  lobrfg  Ambiance 

near,  0ur  continent  from  Ofcp  to 
^[t  numlicrlc^  Centennial  C 
S2aitl)  c^tr&en-^alalr,  coffee,  chocolate, 
JFor  retrotfpectifae  gout^,  toljo^e  ba£amg  s'inell 

tljeg  fieljoHr  t^ee  ano  ttjj)  jpleaitna  fretQljt, 
lobe  of  country,  ana  eac^  patriot  rfeetf 
cljarm  in  alf  t^at  tTjoti  aoSt  chronicle. 

OE.  13.  f^ofotlls. 


THE   CAMBRIDGE  OF    1776. 


SKETCH    OF   THE  HISTORY   OF   CAMBRIDGE   FROM    ITS 
SETTLEMENT   IN   1631  TO  1776. 

BY   DAVID    GREENE   HASKINS,   JR. 

IN  the  year  1630,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay  Company, 
a  large  fleet  of  English  ships  spread  its  sails  for  the  shores  of  New 
England  ;  and  about  one  thousand  colonists,  with  John  Winthrop,  the  Gov- 
ernor, and  Thomas  Dudley,  the  Deputy-Governor  of  the  Company,  and 
other  gentlemen  of  respectability  and  of  influence  in  its  councils,  settled 
at  Dorchester,  Charlestown,  Boston,  Watertown,  Roxbury,  Medford,  and 
Lynn.1  The  hitherto  struggling  Colony  was  thus  placed  on  a  secure  founda- 
tion. After  providing  shelter  for  the  winter,  one  of  the  earliest  objects  of 
care  was  to  select  a  site  for  a  fortified  capital  city,  where  the  settlers  might 
be  safe  from  the  attacks  of  their  Indian  neighbors  and  of  possible  foreign 
invaders.  After  many  consultations,  a  spot  was  at  last  chosen  near  the 
Charles  river,  about  a  mile  below  Watertown,  and  on  the  28th  of  Decem- 
ber the  Governor,  Deputy-Governor,  and  all  but  two  of  the  assistants,  bound 
themselves  to  build  houses  there  in  the  spring  and  to  remove  thither  their 
"ordnance  and  munition."  Under  such  favorable  auspices,  early  in  1631 
the  "Newe  Towne "  was  begun.  Houses  were  erected  and  a  canal  was 
made  to  connect  the  town  with  the  river.  But  this  prosperity  was  soon  par- 
tially blighted.  Amicable  relations  having  been  established  with  the  neigh- 
boring Indians,  the  need  of  a  fortified  town  was  no  longer  strongly  felt  ; 
most  of  the  assistants  failed  to  perform  their  agreement ;  and  before  winter 
the  Governor,  without  consulting  his  associates,  removed  the  frame  of  his 
unfinished  house  from  Newtown  to  Boston,  whose  commercial  facilities  were 
greater,  and  whose  people  were  anxious  to  retain  him  amongst  them.  Dud- 
ley resented  this  conduct,  and  it  was  probably  one  of  the  reasons  which, 

1  Dudley's  Letter  to  the  Countess  of  Lincoln. 


4  Sketch  of  the  Histoiy  of  Cambridge. 

the  next  year,  induced  him  to  tender  a  resignation  of  his  office  ;  but  he  was 
finally  reconciled  to  the  Governor  through  the  efforts  of  several  of  the  min- 
isters. 

Boston  became  the  capital,  but  Newtown  was  not  abandoned,  though 
Dudley  and  Bradstreet  alone  of  the  magistrates  adhered  to  their  agreement 
to  settle  there.  The  town  was  surrounded,  in  1632,  at  the  common  expense, 
with  a  palisade  and  fosse  about  a  mile  and  a  half  in  length,1  running  along 
the  north  side  of  the  present  Cambridge  Common,  and  enclosing  over  a 
thousand  acres.  Traces  of  the  fosse  were  visible  at  the  beginning  of  this 
century.2 

In  August,  a  small  band  of  colonists  from  the  vicinity  of  Braintree,  Essex 
County,  England,  by  order  of  the  Court,  removed  to  Newtown  from  Mount 
Wollaston,  where  they  had  begun  to  settle.  A  church  was  built  with  a  bell, 
which  afterwards  gave  place  for  a  time  to  a  drum  as  a  means  of  summoning 
the  people  ;  but  the  town  had  no  settled  minister  until  the  arrival  of  the 
Rev.  Thomas  Hooker.  This  eminent  divine,  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of 
the  Braintree  people,  his  friends  and  former  hearers,  had  left  his  church  in 
Holland,  whither  he  had  fled  from  persecution  for  non-conformity  in  Eng- 
land. Passing  through  the  latter  country  at  considerable  personal  risk, 
he  succeeded  in  eluding  pursuit,  and  sailed  for  America,  where  he  arrived 
September  4,  1633,  on  the  ship  Griffin,  together  with  his  friend,  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Stone,  and  the  wealthy  John  Haynes.  Mr.  Hooker  had  been  a 
preacher  of  great  note  at  Chelmsford,  near  Braintree,  in  Essex,  and  fully 
sustained  his  reputation  in  this  country,  being  styled  by  Cotton  Mather, 
"the  light  of  the  Western  churches."  October  11,  1633,  he  and  Mr.  Stone 
were  solemnly  ordained  pastor  and  teacher  of  the  Newtown  church,  the 
eighth  which  was  gathered  in  the  Colony.  It  may  be  feared  that  his  popu- 
larity might  have  been  less,  had  he  lived  in  a  later  age,  for  we  read  that  on  a 
Sunday  afternoon,  before  Governor  Winthrop  and  a  very  large  congregation, 
he  preached  over  two  hours  "  to  very  good  purpose."  3  Though  numbering 
scarcely  fifty  families  at  this  time,4  it  was  not  long  before  the  Newtown  peo- 
ple wearied  of  their  narrow  limits  and  complained  that  they  had  not  suffi- 
cient meadow  land  for  their  cattle.  After  sending  exploring  parties  to  Aga- 
wam,  Merrimack,  and  the  Connecticut  river,  they  asked  leave,  at  the  General 
Court  sitting  at  Newtown,  September,  1634,  to  remove  to  the  last  named 
region.  The  debate  lasted  several  days.  The  petitioners  pleaded,  beside 
other  arguments,  "the  strong  bent  of  their  spirits  to  remove."  The  oppo- 
nents of  the  measure  advanced  considerations  of  expediency  and  religion 
against  this  "  removing  of  a  candlestick."  The  vote  was  taken.  The  mag- 
istrates and  deputies,  the  two  bodies  composing  the  General  Court,  dis- 
agreed. The  latter  strenuously  contested  the  right  of  the  former  to  a 

l  Wood's  New  England's  Prospect,  p.  43. 

J  Holmes's  History  of  Cambridge,  p.  9,  note. 

3  Winthrop's  History  of  New  England,  vol.  i.  p.  304. 

*  Holmes's  History  of  Cambridge,  p.  10,  note. 


The  Reverend  Thomas  Shepard  arrives.  5 

negative  voice.  The  Court  adjourned,  and  a  special  day  of  humiliation,  in 
consequence  of  the  difficulty,  was  kept  throughout  the  Colony.  The  matter 
was  temporarily  settled  by  the  consent  of  Mr.  Hooker's  people  to  remain 
and  to  receive  grants  of  land  on  the  south  side  of  the  Charles  river. 

They  soon,  however,  became  restless  again,  and,  although  at  the  General 
Court  held  at  Newtown,  May  6,  1635,  John  Haynes,  one  of  their  chief  men, 
was  elected  governor,  they  resolved,  apparently  with  the  tacit  consent  of 
the  Court,  to  follow  "  the  strong  bent  of  their  spirits,"  and  remove  to  the 
Connecticut,  whither  their  neighbors  of  Dorchester  and  Watertown  were 
also  on  the  point  of  emigrating.  They  accordingly  sold  their  estates  to  the 
Rev.  Thomas  Shepard  and  his  company,  who  arrived  at  Boston  in  the  ship 
Defsnce,  October  3,  1635.  This  "  holy,  heavenly,  sweet-affecting,  and  soul- 
ravishing  minister,"  l  who  had  not  yet  completed  his  thirtieth  year,  had  been 
a  non-conformist  clergyman  in  Essex  County  and  elsewhere,  and,  after 
numerous  perils  by  land  and  water,  had  succeeded  in  escaping  from  Eng- 
land, it  is  said  in  disguise  and  under  an  assumed  name.  He  was  accom- 
panied by  his  stanch  friend,  the  young  and  wealthy  Roger  Harlakenden, 
George  Cook,  afterwards  captain  of  the  Cambridge  company,  and  some 
sixty  others.  This  company  settled  at  Newtown,  and,  February  i,  1636,  or- 
ganized a  church  with  much  solemnity.  The  following  June,  Mr.  Hooker 
and  his  assistant,  Mr.  Stone,  with  their  congregation  of  one  hundred  peo- 
ple, set  out  on  foot  through  the  wilderness  for  the  Connecticut,  a  distance 
of  one  hundred  miles,  driving  their  cattle  with  them ;  and,  after  nearly  a 
fortnight's  journeying,  reached  their  destination  and  founded  a  second 
Newtown,  the  modern  Hartford. 

A  writer,  who  left  America  previous  to  Mr.  Hooker's  arrival  in  the  country, 
describes  the  original  Newtown  as  "  one  of  the  neatest  and  best  compacted 
townes  in  New  England,  having  many  faire  structures  with  many  handsome 
contrived  streets.  The  inhabitants  most  of  them  are  very  rich  and  well 
stored  with  cattell  of  all  sorts.  On  the  other  side  of  the  river  lieth  all  their 
medow  and  marsh-ground  for  hay."  2  A  later  writer,  in  i686,8  affirms  that 
"for  handsomness  and  beauty"  it  "out-does  Boston  it  self."  The  town 
was  wealthy,  paying,  in  the  spring  of  1636,  the  largest  tax  in  the  Colony.4 
From  1634  to  1636,  while  Dudley  and  Haynes  occupied  the  governor's  chair, 
the  General  Courts  were  held  here,  and  in  1636  additional  courts  for  the  trial 
of  cases  were  established  here  as  well  as  at  several  other  places.  The  town 
was  laid  out  in  squares.  Its  old  market-place  is  the  present  Winthrop 
Square,  where  stood  the  house  of  Governor  Haynes.5  Dudley  had  built,  on 
the  west  side  of  Water,  now  Dunster  Street,  a  house  which  had  incurred  the 

1  Johnson's  Wonder-Working  Providence  in  New  England,  p.  213. 

7  Wood's  Netv  England's  Prospect  (1634),  p.  43. 

3  John  Dunton's  Letters  from  New  England,  p.  156. 
*  Records  Massachusetts  Bay  Colony,  vol.  i.  p.  166. 

8  Holmes's  History  of  Cambridge,  p.  10,  note. 


6  Sketch  of  the  History  of  Cambridge. 

censure  of  Winthrop  as  too  elegant  in  its  finish  for  a  struggling  colony.1 
Near  it  stood  the  church,  while  Bradstreet's  house  was  in  what  was  then 
Cow  Yard  Row.  An  official  statement  shows  that,  in  1635,  after  Sheparcl's 
arrival,  there  were  eighty-five  houses  within  the  town  limits.2 

These  limits  were  at  first  very  narrow,  and  the  town,  in  the  quaint  lan- 
guage of  an  ancient  writer,  resembled  "  a  list  cut  off  from  the  broad-cloath  "  8 
of  Charlestown  and  Watertown.  Very  early,  however,  —  it  is  scarcely  pos- 
sible now  to  determine  just  when  or  how,  —  it  acquired  a  large  territory  on 
the  south  side  of  the  Charles  river.  The  grant  made  by  the  General  Court 
on  condition  that  Mr.  Hooker's  company  should  remain,  consisted  chiefly 
of  the  land  about  Muddy  river,  the  present  Brookline,  which,  on  breach  of 
the  condition,  reverted  to  Boston.  At  the  General  Court,  in  March,  1636,  it 
was  agreed  that  the  bounds  of  the  town  should  extend  eight  miles  into  the 
country  from  the  meeting-house  (on  Dunster  Street),  thus  including  half  of 
the  present  town  of  Lexington.*  In  1641,  1642,  and  1644,  the  town  received 
very  large  additional  grants,  consisting  mainly  of  the  territory  then  called 
Shawshin.  At  this  period  of  its  greatest  size  it  seems  to  have  extended 
in  a  curious  irregular  line  from  what  was  afterwards  West  Roxbury  on  the 
south  to  the  Merrimack  river  on  the  north,  and  to  have  included  the  greater 
part,  if  not  the  whole,  of  Brighton,  Newton,  Cambridge,  Arlington,  Lexing- 
ton, Bedford,  Billerica,  and  probably  Tewksbury,  and  portions  of  Belmont 
and  Winchester.  It  should  be  remembered  that  the  territory  near  Mount 
Auburn  at  this  time  belonged  to  Watertown,  and  that  East  Cambridge  and 
Cambridgeport,  now  the  most  flourishing  parts  of  the  city,  were  then  almost 
uninhabited  farms  and  marshes.  The  line  between  Cambridge  and  Water- 
town  was  marked  for  some  distance  by  a  stone  wall  four  feet  high,  with  two 
gates  at  the  highways,  built  in  accordance  with  a  vote  of  the  proprietors 
of  the  town,  May  29,  167 1.5 

May  29,  1655,  with  the  consent  of  Cambridge,  the  great  Shawshin  grant 
became  the  township  of  Billerica.  August  27,  1679,  Cambridge  Village, 
as  it  was  called,  was  organized  as  a  separate  town  which  later  received  the 
name  of  Newton.  The  next  loss.of  territory  was  March  20,  1713,  when  the 
Cambridge  Farms  were  set  off  and  organized  as  Lexington.  Little  Cam- 
bridge and  Menotomy  (Brighton  and  Arlington)  remained  a  part  of  the  town 
until  early  in  the  present  century. 

The  year  of  Mr.  Hooker's  departure,  a  theological  controversy,  originated 
by  Mrs.  Anne  Hutchinson  of  Boston,  began  to  create  great  agitation  in  the 
Colony.  Mrs.  Hutchinson's  views  were  advocated  by  the  Governor,  Sir 
Henry  Vane,  by  John  Cotton,  and  by  nearly  the  whole  Boston  church.  The 
opposite  party  was  headed  by  John  Wilson,  pastor  of  the  church,  and  Win- 

1  Winthrop's  History  of  New  England,  vol.  i.  p.  73- 
1  Town  Records. 

3  Wonder-Working  Providence,  p.  61. 

4  Hudson's  History  of  Lexington,  pp.  34  and  35,  and  note. 

5  Town  Records. 


The  College  and  Printing- Press.  7 

throp.  Party  feeling  ran  high,  and  at  a  session  of  the  Court,  held  at  Boston, 
March,  1637,  it  was  voted,  in  spite  of  the  Governor,  who  refused  to  put  the 
question,  that  the  next  General  Court,  which  was  to  elect  officers  for  the 
year,  should  be  held  in  Newtown.  The  Court  met,  May  I7th,  in  the  open 
air  on  the  Newtown  Common  amid  great  excitement.  Mrs.  Hutchinson's 
adherents,  we  learn  from  an  unfriendly  pen,1  were  violent  in  their  speeches, 
and  the  two  parties  well-nigh  came  to  blows.  In  the  midst  of  the  tumult 
Wilson  climbed  a  tree,  and  thence  addressed  the  people  with  marked  suc- 
cess.2 The  elections  were  held.  Mrs.  Hutchinson's  party  were  entirely 
defeated,  and  Winthrop  was  elected  governor.  August  3Oth,  a  synod,  sum- 
moned by  the  ministers  with  the  magistrates'  consent  for  the  settlement 
of  the  controversy,  met  in  Mr.  Shepard's  church  at  Newtown.  It  included 
all  the  ministers,  the  messengers  of  the  various  churches,  and  the  magis- 
trates, and  was  presided  over  by  Hooker  and  Bulkeley.  This  assembly  sat 
twenty-four  days,  during  which  the  tact  and  exertions  of  Governor  Win- 
throp were  generally  successful  in  maintaining  harmony  and  good  feeling, 
although  some  were  "so  obstreperous  that  the  magistrates  were  constrained 
to  interpose  with  their  authority,"3  which  resulted  in  the  withdrawal  of  some 
of  the  Boston  people.  The  synod  finally  agreed  in  condemning  almost  unan- 
imously eighty-two  opinions,  "  some  blasphemous,  others  erroneous,  and  all 
unsafe  ;  "  4  and  also  decided  some  other  points  of  importance.  The  Gen- 
eral Court,  at  its  next  session,  November,  1637,  also  held  at  Newtown,  sum- 
moned Mrs.  Hutchinson  into  its  presence,  and  after  a  long  examination 
banished  her  almost  unanimously.  It  also  banished,  disfranchised,  or  dis- 
armed, many  of  her  adherents,  and  removed  the  powder  and  ammunition 
from  Boston,  the  stronghold  of  her  party,  to  Newtown  and  Roxbury. 

During  these  exciting  times,  the  first  steps  were  taken  toward  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  college,  and  Newtown  was  selected  for  its  site.  Here,  "  at  the 
end  of  a  spacious  plain  more  like  a  bowling-green  than  a  wilderness,"5  was 
built  the  first  college  in  British  America,  which,  in  1639,  took  the  name  of  its 
first  benefactor,  John  Harvard.  In  May,  1638,  the  Court  gave  its  sanction 
to  a  change  of  name  already  made  by  popular  usage,6  and  Newtown  became 
Cambridge,  in  honor  of  the  great  University  where  its  own  ministers,  Hooker, 
Stone,  and  Shepard,  and  many  other  leading  men  in  the  Colonies,  had  re- 
ceived their  education. 

About  the  beginning  of  the  year  1639,  under  the  auspices  of  the  magis- 
trates and  elders,  a  printing-press,  the  first  in  the  country  north  of  Mexico, 
was  established  at  Cambridge.  For  some  time  it  was  under  the  superin- 
tendence of  the  President,  and  its  profits  formed  a  part  of  the  revenues  of 

1  Winthrop's  History  of  New  England,  vol.  i.  p.  220. 

2  Hutchinson's  History  of  Massachusetts,  vol.  i.  p.  62,  note. 

3  Hubbard's  History  of  New  England,  p.  302. 

4  Winthrop's  History  of  Neiv  England,  vol.  i.  p.  238. 
6  Bonder-forking  Providence,  p.  164. 

6  Records  Massachusetts  Bay  Colony,  vol.  i.  p.  180. 


8  Sketch  of  the  History  of  Cambridge. 

the  college.  It  was  early  employed  in  printing  the  Bay  Psalm  Book,  and, 
later,  Eliot's  Indian  Bible. 

In  1643,  there  was  a  meeting  in  the  college,  of  all  the  ministers  of  the  Col- 
ony, numbering  about  fifty,  for  the  purpose  of  opposing  certain  incipient 
tendencies  toward  Presbyterianism.  These  distinguished  men,  during  their 
stay,  were  boarded  at  commons  for  the  modest  sum  of  sixpence  a  meal. 
Again,  in  1645,  July  ist,  the  ministers  held  a  general  meeting  here  for  the  pur- 
pose of  revising  certain  theological  works  prepared  by  Hooker  and  others, 
and  designed  to  be  printed  in  England. 

September  i,  1646,  at  the  instance  of  the  General  Court,  a  memorable 
synod,  called  together  from  all  the  united  colonies  to  establish  a  system  of 
church  government  and  discipline,  met  in  Cambridge.  After  three  short 
sessions,  at  very  long  intervals,  it  finally  adjourned,  in  the  summer  of 
1648,  having  unanimously  adopted  the  Confession  of  Faith  of  the  West- 
minster Assembly,  and  having  framed  a  "  Platform  of  Church  Discipline," 
which,  with  little  variation,  formed  the  fundamental  rule  of  the  Congrega- 
tional churches  for  more  than  a  century.  An  interesting  feature  of  this 
synod  was  a  sermon  preached  by  John  Eliot  to  the  Indians,  in  their  native 
language,  in  presence  of  the  whole  assembly  and  the  legislature,  June  9, 
1647.  On  the  a8th  of  the  previous  October,  at  the  Indian  settlement  of 
Nonantum,  then  within  the  limits  of  Cambridge,  on  the  south  side  of  the 
river,  he  had  begun  with  good  success  his  efforts  to  civilize  and  Christianize 
the  natives.  The  remains  of  the  stone  walls  and  ditches  with  which  his 
early  converts  surrounded  their  town,  previous  to  their  removal,  in  1651,  to 
Natick,  were  long  visible.  A  few  of  the  Indian  youth  were  educated,  and 
an  Indian  college  was  built  at  Cambridge,  but  was  afterwards  devoted  to 
other  purposes. 

Meanwhile,  urged  by  pecuniary  embarrassments,  Mr.  Shepard's  company 
had  been  twice  on  the  verge  of  following  the  example  of  their  predecessors. 
In  1640  and  1641,  they  seriously  meditated  an  emigration  to  Mattabesett,  on 
the  Connecticut,1  the  modern  Middletown,  and  a  second  scheme  of  migra- 
tion, perhaps  within  the  Plymouth  limits,  induced  the  General  Court,  March, 
1644,  to  make  them  a  grant  of  land  on  condition  of  their  remaining.'2 

Cambridge  seems  at  this  time  to  have  had  some  commerce  with  foreign 
parts,  and  several  of  her  ships  are  mentioned  by  early  writers,  notably  one 
carrying  fourteen  guns,  which,  on  a  voyage  to  the  Canaries,  about  the  close 
of  the  year  1644,  fought  nearly  all  day  at  close  quarters,  and  finally  beat 
off  an  Irish  man-of-war  of  superior  force.8 

About  the  year  1650,  a  woman  is  said  to  have  suffered  death  here  for  the 
crime  of  witchcraft,  one  of  the  earliest  victims  to  that  dreadful  popular  de- 
lusion.4 Ten  years  later,  in  1660,  Elizabeth  Horton,  a  Quaker,  went 

1  .Albro's  Life  of  Shepard,  pp.  242-245. 

2  Hudson's  History  of  Lexington,  p.  37.     Records  Massachusetts  Bay  Colony,  vol.  ii.  p.  62. 

3  Winthrop's  History  of  New  England,  vol.  ii.  p.  219. 

4  Hutchinson's  History  of  Massachusetts,  vol.  ii.  p.  22. 


Goffe,    Whalley,  and   Whitefield.  9 

through  the.  streets  proclaiming  that  the  Lord  was  coming  with  fire  and 
sword  to  plead  with  the  people.1  An  amusing  instance  of  the  paternal  sys- 
tem of  government  adopted  by  the  Puritans,  is  afforded  by  the  action  of  the 
selectmen  of  Cambridge,  February  14,  1676,  appointing  four  persons  "to 
have  inspection  into  families  that  there  be  no  bye  drinking  or  any  misde- 
meanor whereby  sin  is  committed,  and  persons  from  their  houses  unsea- 
sonably." 2 

July  27,  1660,  immediately  on  their  arrival  in  America,  Colonels  Goffe  and 
Whalley,  the  regicide  judges,  took  up  their  abode  in  Cambridge,  where  they 
received  a  cordial  welcome,  and  remained  till  February  26th,  when  they  fled 
to  Connecticut.  Alarmed  by  the  distant  mutterings  of  the  devastating 
storm  of  Indian  war,  which,  in  1675,  burst  on  the  Colony,  the  Cambridge 
militia  began  the  erection  of  a  stockade,  for  the  defence  of  the  town  ;  8  but 
Philip's  death  prevented  its  completion. 

Through  the  earlier  part  of  the  eighteenth  century,  the  history  of  Cam- 
bridge presents  little  worthy  of  note.  The  General  Court  was  several  times 
held  here,  usually  to  escape  the  small-pox  prevailing  in  Boston  ;  once,  in 
1729,  in  consequence  of  a  dispute  with  Governor  Burnett.  On  one  of  these 
occasions,  in  1764,  Harvard  Hall,  where  they  sat,  was  consumed  by  fire,  on 
the  night  of  January  24th,  with  the  philosophical  apparatus  and  the  valuable 
library  of  the  college,  including  all  but  one  of  the  books  bequeathed  by 
John  Harvard. 

In  1740,  George  Whitefield  preached  here  more  than  once,  addressing 
himself  in  the  most  direct  and  unsparing  manner  to  the  students  and  tutors. 
In  1749,  a  female  slave  was  burned  at  the  usual  place  of  execution  in  Cam- 
bridge, for  the  crime  of  poisoning  her  master.4 

June  1 6,  1769,  the  General  Court  was  adjourned  to  Cambridge  by  Governor 
Bernard,  in  consequence  of  the  unwillingness  of  the  members  to  transact 
business  in  Boston  while  the  town  was  held  and  the  very  state-house  men- 
aced by  English  troops.  The  next  year,  Lieutenant-Governor  Hutchinson, 
in  accordance  with  instructions  from  England,  summoned  the  General  Court 
to  meet  at  Cambridge,  March  i5th.  A  long  struggle  ensued  between  the 
legislature  and  the  executive.  The  former  offered  repeated  and  vigorous 
but  ineffectual  remonstrances  against  the  removal  of  the  Court  from  Boston, 
and  in  September,  1770,  observed  a  day  of  solemn  prayer  and  humiliation, 
at  which  the  two  Cambridge  ministers  were  requested  to  perform  the  re- 
ligious exercises.  It  was  not  until  June  13,  1772,  that  the  Governor  con- 
sented that  the  Court  should  be  adjourned  to  Boston. 

In  the  year  1761,  at  the  instance  of  several  wealthy  gentlemen,  an  Episco- 
pal church  was  established  in  Cambridge,  under  the  charge  of  the  Rev. 

1  Hutchinson's  History  of  Massachusetts,  vol.  i.  p.  187. 

2  Town  Records. 

3  Records  of  Massachusetts  Bay  Colony,  vol.  vi.  p.  89. 

4  Drake's  Historic  Fields  and  Mansions  of  Middlesex,  p.  170. 


io  Sketch  of  the  History  of  Cambridge. 

East  Apthorp.  He  was  received  in  no  friendly  spirit  by  the  Congregational 
ministers,  and  in  a  few  years  sought  a  more  agreeable  field  of  labor  in  Eng- 
land. The  breaking  out  of  the  war  drove  his  successor,  the  Rev.  Winwood 
Serjeant,  and  his  congregation  of  wealthy  loyalists,  from  the  town,  and  the 
church  was  closed.  In  the  agitations  preceding  the  Revolution,  Cambridge, 
in  spite  of  these  same  numerous  and  influential  loyalists,  ardently  espoused 
the  popular  cause.  The  people  "discovered  a  glorious  spirit,  like  men  de- 
termined to  be  free."  In  1765,  October  I4th,  they  adopted  patriotic  resolu- 
tions against  the  Stamp  Act.  In  1770,  they  tolled  their  bells  on  the  burial 
day  of  the  Boston  rioters  killed  by  the  troops.  November  26,  1773,  they 
passed  energetic  resolutions  against  the  tax  on  tea,  expressing  their  willing- 
ness to  join  with  Boston  and  other  towns,  on  the  shortest  notice,  to  deliver 
themselves  and  their  posterity  from  slavery.1 

September  i,  1774,  a  military  detachment  sent  by  General  Gage,  seized 
and  carried  off  a  quantity  of  powder  from  Charlestown,  and  two  small  field- 
pieces  from  Cambridge.  The  news  spreading  rapidly,  roused  the  neighbor- 
ing country,  and  the  following  day,  an  excited  multitude  from  the  surround- 
ing towns  poured  into  Cambridge,  and  took  possession  of  the  Common. 
They  compelled  Judges  Danforth  and  Lee,  two  of  the  mandamus  coun- 
cillors recently  appointed  in  violation  of  the  charter,  to  announce  from  the 
court-house  steps  their  resignation  of  their  seats  at  the  council-board,  and 
they  exacted  pledges  of  fidelity  to  the  charter  from  the  High  Sheriff  and 
County  Clerk.  At  the  request  of  Lieutenant-Governor  Oliver,  who  hastened 
to  Boston  to  assure  General  Gage  of  the  respectable  and  orderly  character 
of  the  assemblage,  no  troops  were  sent  out  against  them,  otherwise  the  Rev- 
olution might  have  had  an  earlier  beginning.  In  the  afternoon,  re-enforced 
by  fresh  arrivals,  they  surrounded  Oliver's  house,  three  to  four  thousand 
strong,  a  quarter  part  in  arms,  and,  by  violent  threats,  compelled  him  to 
sign  a  paper  resigning  his  seat  as  president  of  the  council.  After  which 
they  peaceably  withdrew.2 

October  I7th,  the  first  Provincial  Congress,  presided  over  by  John  Han- 
cock, met  by  adjournment  from  Concord,  in  the  First  Church,  where  it  con- 
tinued to  hold  its  sessions  till  its  dissolution,  December  loth.  Here,  too, 
the  Committee  of  Safety  held,  apparently,  its  first  meeting,  November  2d, 
as  well  as  many  meetings  the  following  year. 

The  annals  of  Cambridge  for  1775,  are  a  part  of  our  national  history,  and 
can  here  be  only  briefly  referred  to.  February  1st,  the  second  Provincial 
Congress  met  in  the  church,  but  on  the  i6th  adjourned  to  Concord.  Cam- 
bridge bore  its  part  in  the  fighting,  and  the  losses  of  the  memorable  ipth 
April,  and  its  selectmen  made  an  ineffectual  effort  to  check  the  advance  of 
Lord  Percy's  re-enforcements,  by  taking  up  the  planks  of  the  Brighton 
bridge.  After  the  battle,  the  town  became  one  of  the  chief  rendezvous  for 

1  Town  Records. 

2  A  merican  A  rchives,  4th  series,  vol.  i.  pp.  762-769. 


The  First  American  Fortifications. 


ii 


the  rapidly-gathering  patriot  forces,  and  the  deserted  halls  of  the  college, 
and  houses  of  the  loyalists,  and  even  Christ  Church  itself,  were  occupied  for 
military  purposes.  Here  was  probably  the  spot  where,  early  in  May,  were 
erected  the  first  of  the  American  fortifications.  Here  General  Artemas 


CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH. 

Ward,  commander-in-chief  of  the  Massachusetts  troops,  fixed  his  head- 
quarters. Here  General  Washington  assumed  command  of  the  American 
army,  and  here  the  head-quarters  and  centre  of  the  army  remained  during 
the  siege.  In  the  midst  of  such  unwonted  scenes  of  military  activity,  the 
eventful  year  1776  dawned  on  the  hitherto  peaceful  town. 


THE  INFLUENCE  OF  CAMBRIDGE  IN  THE  FORMATION  OF 

THE^NATION. 

BY   ANDREW   P.   PEABODY,   D.    D. 

CAMBRIDGE  was  the  first  capital  of  our  infant  Republic,  the  cradle 
of  our  nascent  liberty,  the  hearth  of  our  kindling  patriotism.  Before 
the  3d  of  July,  1775,  there  were  tumults,  conflicts,  bold  plans,  rash  enter- 
prises ;  but  there  was  no  co-ordinating  and  controlling  will,  purpose,  or 
authority.  On  and  from  that  day  the  Colonies  were  virtually  one  people. 
Before,  they  had  nothing  in  common  but  their  grievances.  They  were  as 
yet  British  provinces,  —  though  wrenching  the  cords  that  held  them,  still 
undetached,  and  with  no  mode  of  action  upon  or  with  one  another.  By 
adopting  the  army  and  choosing  its  head  they  performed  their  first  act,  not 
of  alliance,  but  of  organic  unity,  and  became  a  nation  unawares,  while  they 
thought  themselves  still  wronged  and  suppliant  dependencies  of  the  British 
crown.  They  thus  decided  the  question  between  a  worse  than  unsuccessful 
rebellion  and  revolution. 

That  the  rebellion,  as  such,  would  have  been  an  utter  failure,  is  only  too 
certain.  The  American  party  in  England  had  on  its  side  eloquence, 
indeed,  and  wisdom,  but  neither  numerical  force  in  Parliament,  nor  the 
power  to  mollify  ministerial  obstinacy,  or  to  penetrate  with  a  sense  of  right 
the  crass  stupidity  on  the  throne.  Boston  was  held  by  disciplined,  thor- 
oughly armed,  and  well-fed  troops,  under  officers  of  approved  skill  and 
prowess,  strongly  entrenched  and  fortified  at  accessible  points,  and  sustained 
by  a  formidable  naval  force.  Hardly  one  in  fifty  of  the  colonial  army  had 
had  any  experience  in  war,  and  I  doubt  whether  there  was  a  single  man 
among  them,  officer  or  private,  who  was  a  soldier  by  profession.  They  had 
come  from  the  farm  and  the  forge,  with  such  arms  and  equipments  as  they 
could  bring  ;  they  had  no  bureau  of  supply,  no  military  chest,  no  organized 
commissariat,  and  their  stock  of  ammunition  was  so  slender  that  it  was 
ordered  by  the  Provincial  Congress  that  no  salute  should  be  fired  on  the 
reception  of  the  Commander-in-chief.  They  were  from  four  different  prov- 
inces, under  as  many  generals,  with  sectional  jealousies  which  the  common 
cause  could  hardly  keep  at  bay  ;  and  harmonious  counsels  could  be  main- 
tained or  expected  only  and  scarcely  at  moments  of  imminent  peril.  At 
Bunker  Hill  they  had  shown  both  their  strength  and  their  weakness,  their 


Disintegrating  Elements  in  the  Colonial  Army.  13 

unsurpassed  courage  and  their  poverty  of  resource.  Superior  in  the  con- 
flict, overwhelming  the  enemy  with  the  shame  and  disaster  of  a  signal 
defeat,  they  had  been  compelled  to  yield  the  ground  on  which  they  had  won 
imperishable  glory,  and  to  see  the  heights  they  had  so  bravely  defended 
occupied  by  a  hostile  battery.  They  held  Boston  beleaguered  by  the 
prestige  of  that  day,  too  feeble  to  press  the  siege,  yet,  as  they  had  well 
proved,  too  strong  to  be  dislodged  and  scattered,  but  by  the  disintegrating 
elements  in  their  own  unorganized  body.  These  elements  were  already  at 
work,  and  the  secession  of  even  a  single  regiment  would  have  been  the 
signal  for  speedy  dissolution  and  submission  to  the  royal  government. 


WASHINGTON  ELM. 

This  precarious  condition  of  affairs  was  beyond  the  remedial  authority  of 
the  individual  provinces.  Massachusetts  could  choose  a  general  for  her 
own  troops,  but  could  not  place  the  forces  of  New  Hampshire,  Connecticut, 
and  Rhode  Island  under  his  control.  Still  less  could  any  efficient  system 
of  sustenance  or  armament  have  been  arranged  by  separate  legislatures.  A 
central  authority  alone  could  carry  forward  the  resistance  so  nobly  begun. 
The  Continental  Congress  would  in  vain  have  passed  patriotic  resolutions, 
protests  against  tyranny,  votes  of  sympathy ;  in  vain  would  they  have 
aroused  popular  indignation  and  multiplied  centres  of  resistance  through 


14  The  Influence  of  Cambridge. 

the  land.  The  one  decisive  act  in  the  struggle,  the  seal  of  what  had  been 
achieved,  the  presage  and  pledge  of  all  that  should  ensue  in  the  coming 
years,  was  the  taking  command  of  the  American  army  at  Cambridge,  by 
Washington. 

Cambridge  was  for  obvious  geographical  reasons  the  only  place  where  the 
provincial  troops  could  have  their  head-quarters,  —  lying  near  enough  to  the 
enemy  to  watch  and  check  his  movements,  yet  protected  from  sudden  or  in- 
sidious attack  by  the  intervention  of  the  then  unbridged  arm  of  the  sea 
which  separates  it  from  Boston.  There  was,  at  the  same  time,  an  intrinsic 
fitness  that  the  opening  scenes  of  the  great  drama  should  be  enacted  here, 
where  so  many  of  the  leaders  in  counsel  and  arms  had  learned  to  loathe  op- 
pression and  to  hold  the  cause  of  liberty  sacred. 

From  its  earliest  days  our  university  had  always  been  on  the  side  of  free- 
dom. Its  first  two  presidents  were  far  in  advance  of  their  times  in  their 
views  of  the  right  of  the  individual  man  to  unrestricted  liberty  of  thought, 
opinion,  speech,  and  action.  Increase  Mather,  when  president,  took  the  lead 
in  the  opposition  to  the  tyrannical  acts  of  Andros  and  Randolph,  sailed  for 
England  as  the  unofficial  agent  of  the  aggrieved  colonists,  was  appointed  to 
an  official  agency  on  the  news  of  the  revolution  of  1688,  bore  an  important 
part  in  the  construction  of  the  new  provincial  charter  and  in  securing  its  ac- 
ceptance, and  nominated  to  the  royal  court  the  governor,  council,  and  prin- 
cipal officers  under  it.  His  successors  were  of  a  like  spirit,  and  there  is  on 
record  no  instance  in  which  the  college  succumbed  to  usurpation,  stooped  to 
sycophancy,  or  maintained  other  than  an  erect  position  before  the  emissaries 
of  the  royal  government.  The  culture  of  the  students  was  in  great  part 
classical,  and  in  the  last  century  the  classics  were  the  text-books  of  all 
lovers  of  freedom.  A  sceptical  criticism  had  not  then  cast  doubt 'on  any  of 
the  stories  of  ancient  heroism,  nor  had  a  minute  analysis  laid  bare  the  ex- 
cesses and  defects  of  the  early  republics,  whose  statesmen  and  warriors  were 
deemed  the  peerless  models  of  patriotic  virtue,  and  whose  orators  thrilled 
the  hearts  of  their  New  England  readers,  as  they  had  the  Athenian  demos, 
the  senate  in  the  capitol,  or  the  dense  masses  of  Roman  citizens  in  the 
forum. 

Almost  all  the  Massachusetts  clergy,  perhaps  the  major  part  of  those  of 
New  England,  had  been  educated  here.  The  Tories  among  them  were  very 
few,  and  nearly  the  whole  of  their  number  were  ardent  patriots.  The  pulpit 
then  sustained  in  affairs  of  public  moment  the  part  which  is  now  borne  by 
the  daily  press;  its  utterances  during  the  eventful  years  of  our  life-struggle 
had  no  uncertain  sound  ;  and  the  champions,  deeds  of  prowess,  and  war- 
lyrics  of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures  gave  the  frequent  key-note  to  sermon, 
prayer,  and  s-acred  song. 

Among  the  pioneers  and  guiding  spirits  of  the  Revolution,  who  were 
graduates  of  the  college,  when  I  have  named  the  Adamses,  Otises,  Ouincys, 
Warrens,  Pickering,  Hancock,  Trumbull,  Ward,  Gushing,  Bowdoin,  Phillips, 


The  Influence  of  Harvard  College.  1 5 

I  have  but  given  you  specimens  of  the  type  and  temper  of  those  who  for 
many  years  had  gone  from  Cambridge  to  fill  the  foremost  places  of  trust  and 
influence  throughout  and  beyond  our  Commonwealth.  That  they  carried 
with  them  hence  their  liberal  views  of  government  and  of  the  rights  of  man, 
we  well  know  in  the  case  of  those  of  whose  lives  we  have  the  record.  Thus 
we  find  John  Adams,  just  after  graduating  here,  more  than  twenty  years 
before  the  declaration  of  independence,  writing  to  a  friend  his  anticipations 
for  America,  not  only  of  her  freedom  from  European  sway,  but  of  her  be- 
coming the  chief  seat  of  empire  for  the  world.  Year  after  year,  on  the 
commencement  platform  in  the  old  parish  church,  had  successive  ranks  of 
earnest  young  men  rehearsed  to  greedy  ears  the  dream  of  liberty  which  they 
pledged  faith  and  life  to  realize. 

In  the  successive  stages  of  the  conflict  of  the  Colonies  with  the  mother 
country,  the  college  uniformly  committed  itself  unequivocally  on  the  patriotic 
side.  When  the  restrictions  on  the  colonial  trade  called  forth  warm  expres- 
sions of  resentment,  the  senior  class  unanimously  resolved  to  take  their 
degrees  in  what  must  then  have  been  exceedingly  rude  apparel,  — home- 
spun and  home-made  cloth.  When  tea  was  proscribed  by  public  sentiment, 
and  some  few  students  persisted  in  bringing  it  into  commons,  the  faculty 
forbade  its  use,  alleging  that  it  was  a  source  of  grief  and  uneasiness  to  many 
of  the  students,  and  that  banishing  it  was  essential  to  harmony  and  peace 
within  the  college  walls.  After  the  day  of  Lexington  and  Concord,  all  four 
of  the  then  existing  college  buildings  were  given  up  for  barracks,  and  the 
president's  house  for  officers'  quarters.  When  the  Commander-in-chief  was 
expected,  this  house  was  designated  for  his  use,  with  the  reservation  of  a 
single  room  for  President  Langdon's  own  occupancy.  Though  the  few  re- 
maining students  were  removed  to  Concord,  the  President,  an  ardent  patriot, 
seems  to  have  still  resided  here,  or  at  least  to  have  spent  a  large  portion  of 
his  time  near  the  troops  ;  for  we  find  frequent  traces  of  his  presence  among 
them,  and  on  the  eve  of  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  he  officiated  as  their  chap- 
lain. In  connection  with  the  prevailing  spirit  of  the  university,  it  is  worthy 
of  emphatic  statement  that  the  Commander-in-chief  was  the  first  person  who 
here  received  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws. 

To  Harvard  graduates  the  country  was  indebted  for  the  choice  of  the  il- 
lustrious chieftain.  The  earliest  mention  that  we  can  find  of  Washington's 
name  in  this  connection  is  in  a  letter  of  James  Warren  to  John  Adams  bear- 
ing date  the  7th  of  May.  Adams  seems  at  once  to  have  regarded  him  as 
the  only  man  fitted  for  this  momentous  service.  Though  the  formal  nomi- 
nation was  made  by  Mr.  Johnson  of  Maryland,  Mr.  Adams  on  a  previous 
day  first  designated  Washington  as  "  a  gentleman  whose  skill  and  expe- 
rience as  an  officer,  whose  independent  fortune,  great  talents,  and  excellent 
universal  character  would  command  the  approbation  of  all  America,  and 
unite  the  cordial  exertions  of  all  the  Colonies  better  than  any  other  person 
in  the  Union."  There  were,  however,  objections  on  sectional  grounds  and 


i6 


The  Influence  of  Cambridge. 


personal  ambitions  that  required  the  most  delicate  treatment,  and  it  was 
mainly  in  consequence  of  Mr.  Adams's  strong  will,  untiring  effort,  and  skilful 
handling  of  opposing  wishes  and  claims,  that  the  final  ballot  was  unanimous. 
On  the  5th  of  June  the  election  was  made.  It  was  formally  announced  to 
Washington  by  Hancock,  the  President  of  Congress,  and  was  accepted  on 
the  spot. 

The  commander,  impressed  with  the  imminence  of  the  crisis,  denied  him- 
self the  sad  privilege  of  a  farewell  in  person  to  his  own  household,  took 
leave  of  his  wife  in  a  letter  equally  brave  and  tender,  and  on  the  aist  com- 
menced his  northward  journey.  Twenty  miles  from  Philadelphia  he  met  a 
courier  with  tidings  of  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  Eagerly  inquiring  as  to 
the  details  of  the  transaction,  and  learning  the  promptness,  skill,  and  cour- 


OLD  PRESIDENT'S  HOUSE. 

age  that  had  made  the  day  forever  memorable,  he  exclaimed,  "  The  liberties 
of  the  country  are  safe  !  "  A  deputation  from  the  Provincial  Congress  met 
him  at  Springfield,  and  volunteer  cavalcades  gave  him  honorable  attendance 
from  town  to  town,  till,  on  the  2d  of  July,  he  arrived  at  Watertown,  received 
and  returned  the  congratulatory  address  of  the  Congress  there  assembled, 
and  was  then  escorted  by  a  company  of  horse  and  a  goodly  body  of  mounted 
civilians  to  the  president's  house,  now  known  as  Wadsworth  House.  The 
rapid  journey  on  horseback  from  Philadelphia  to  Cambridge,  and  that  in 
part  over  rough  roads,  —  an  enterprise  beyond  the  easy  conception  of  our 
time,  — must  have  rendered  the  brief  repose  of  that  midsummer  night  essen- 
tial to  the  prestige  of  the  morrow,  when  on  the  first  impressions  of  the  hour 
may  have  been  poised  the  destiny  of  the  nation. 

There  were  reasons  why  Washington    not  only  might   have   been,  but 


Washington  assumes  the  Command  of  the  Army.          17 

would  inevitably  have  been  ill  received,  had  he  not  been  made  to  win  men's 
confidence  and  love.  Several  of  the  officers  already  on  the  ground  had 
shown  their  capacity  for  great  things,  and  had  their  respective  circles  of 
admirers,  who  were  reluctant  to  see  them  superseded  by  a  stranger ;  and 
had  not  the  officers  themselves  manifested  a  magnanimity  equal  to  their 
courage,  the  camp  would  have  been  already  distracted  by  hostile  factions. 
Then,  too,  the  Virginian  and  New  England  character,  manners,  style  of 
speech,  modes  of  living,  tastes,  aptitudes,  had  much  less  in  common  at  that 
time  of  infrequent  intercourse  than  half  a  century  later,  when,  as  we  well 
know,  apart  from  political  divergence,  mere  social  differences  were  sufficient 
to  create  no  little  mutual  repugnancy.  Washington  was  also  well  known  to 
be  an  Episcopalian,  and  Episcopacy,  from  the  first  Offensive  on  Puritan  soil, 
was  never  more  abhorred  than  now,  when  its  Northern  professors,  with 
hardly  an  exception,  were  openly  hostile  to  the  cause  of  the  people, —  when 
in  Cambridge  almost  every  conspicuous  dwelling  from  Fresh  Pond  to  the 
Inman  House  in  Cambridgeport  had  been  the  residence  of  a  refugee  royalist 
member  of  the  English  Church. 

The  morning  of  the  3d  of  July  witnessed  on  the  Cambridge  Common, 
and  at  every  point  of  view  in  and  upon  the  few  surrounding  houses,  such  a 
multitude  of  men,  women,  and  children  as  had  never  been  gathered  here 
before,  and  perhaps  never  afterwards  assembled  until  its  hundredth  anni- 
versary was  celebrated.  Never  was  the  advent  or  presence  of  mortal  man 
a  more  complete  and  transcendent  triumph.  Majestic  grace  and  sweet 
benignity  were  blended  in  countenance  and  mien.  He  looked  at  once  the 
hero,  patriot,  sage.  With  equal  dignity  and  modesty  he  received  the  thunders 
of  acclamation,  in  which  every  voice  bore  part.  His  first  victory,  the  pres- 
tige of  which  forsook  him  not  for  a  moment  during  the  weary  years  that 
followed,  was  already  gained  when  under  the  ancient  elm  he  drew  his 
sword  as  commander-in-chief.  He  had  conquered  thousands  of  hearts,  that 
remained  true  to  him  to  their  last  throb.  The  wife  of  John  Adams  writes 
of  his  appearance  at  that  moment,  "  Those  lines  of  Dryden  instantly  oc- 
curred to  me,  — 

Mark  his  majestic  fabric !     He 's  a  temple 
Sacred  by  birth,  and  built  by  hands  divine ; 
His  soul 's  the  deity  that  lodges  there  ; 
Nor  is  the  pile  unworthy  of  the  God.' " 


EXTRACTS    FROM   THE    DIARY  OF   DOROTHY   DUDLEY. 
From  April  \%tk,  1775,  to  July  igtti,  1776. 

"  The  Indian's  shaft,  the  Briton's  ball, 

The  sabre's  thirsting  edge, 
The  hot  shell,  shattering  in  its  fall, 
The  bayonet's  rending  wedge,  — 
Here  scattered  death ;  yet,  seek  the  spot, 

No  trace  thine  eye  can  see, 
No  altar,  —  and  they  need  it  not 

Who  leave  their  children  free !  "  . 

O.  W.  HOLMES. 

CAMBRIDGE,  April  \Wi,  1775.  —  To-day  nine  Redcoats  stopped  at 
Bradish  tavern  for  dinner  and  then  gallopped  on  toward  Lexington. 
I  wonder  what  mischief  is  in  tha  wind  now  !  Mr.  Hancock,  Mr.  Samuel 
Adams,  are  staying  with  Mr.  Clark  in  Lexington,  and  these  officers  may  be 
spies  in  search  of  them*.  We  are  on  the  alert,  knowing  that  at  any  moment 
the  war  cloud  may  burst.1 

April  ivth.  —  It  has  come.  The  long  expected  blow  has  been  struck, 
and  by  the  British  arm.  How  can  I  nerve  myself  to  write  of  the  horrors  of 
yesterday  ;  but  I  will  do  it. 

At  midnight  of  Tuesday  we  were  awakened  by  the  ringing  of  bells  and 
beating  of  drums  and  the  hurried  tread  of  men  arming  for  battle.  The 
air  was  filled  with  cries  .of  frightened  women  and  children.  "  The  regulars 
are  out.  To  arms  !  "  was  the  shout  which,  with  lightning  speed,  went 
from  mouth  to  mouth.  Then  we  knew  that  the  purposes  of  General 
Gage  had  ripened  into  deeds,  and  war  was  fairly  upon  us.  Our  minute- 
men  were  ready  for  action,  and  as  the  sun  arose  set  off  in  the  direction  of 
Lexington,  where  the  British  troops  had  gone.  For  us  at  home  there 
was  the  most  terrible  suspense  to  be  endured.  At  noon  came  a  body  of 
Redcoats,  led  by  Lord  Percy,  over  the  bridge  from  Boston,  to  re-enforce 
the  troops  which  went  through  our  town  Tuesday  night.  It  was  not  till 
toward  evening  that  our  anxiety  and  suspense  could  be  relieved  by  any 
certain  news.  Then  the  King's  troops  were  retreating  in  most  ignominious 
haste  before  the  pursuing  militia  of  Lexington,  Concord,  and  Cambridge. 

1  Though  Miss  Dudley  carefully  attributes  her  interest  in  public  events  to  "  patriotism,"  the  exact- 
ness and  promptness  of  her  information  suggest  that  some  gallant  officer  gave  her  intelligence  of  his 
movements,  and  that  we  owe  her  details  rather  to  the  tender  passion  than  to  the  love  of  country.  —  ED. 


The  Lexington  Martyrs.  ro 

As  they  ran  over  the  road  they  had  so  proudly  marched  over  the  night  be- 
fore, the  slaughter  among  them  was  terrible.  Several  of  our  brave  Cam- 
bridge men  are  killed.  Mrs.  Hicks  sent  her  eldest  boy  to  look  for  his 


GENERAL  JOSEPH  WARREN.1 

rfather  as  night  came  on.2     He  found  him  lying  dead  by  the  roadside,  and 
near  him  Mr.  Moses  Richardson  and  Mr.  William  Marcy.8     These  three 

!  The  face  in  this  portrait  is  from  an  engraving  after  Copley. 

2  John  Hicks  lived  in  a  house  that  is  still  standing  on  the  corner  of  Winthrop  and  Dunster  streets. 
It  is  supposed  that  he  was  engaged  in  the  Boston  "  Tea  Party."     He  was  absent  from  home  on  that 
night,  and  is  said  to  have  had  tea  in  his  clothing  upon  his  return.  —  ED. 

3  A  monument  to  these  men  stands  now  in  the  church-yard,  near  Christ  Church.  —  ED. 


2O  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dudley. 

were  brought  home  and  hastily  buried  in  one  common  grave  in  the  church- 
yard. Ah,  the  sorrows  of  that  night !  How  near  it  brought  war  to  our 
doors,  this  first  burial  of  victims  of  British  tyranny.1  It  was  no  time  for 
funeral  ceremonies  ;  and  as  the  terrified  and  sorrowing  friends  stood  around 
the  rude  grave  in  which  was  put  all  that  was  mortal  of  these  brave  men, 
Dr.  Warren  tried  to  comfort  them  with  hopeful  words.  "  It  will  soon  be 
over,"  he  said,  "  then  rightful  honors  will  be  paid  to  these  who  fell  in  de- 
fence of  our  country."  I  cannot  forget  it.  The  lurid  glare  of  the  torches, 
the  group  in  the  graveyard,  the  tender  but  hurried  burial  without  service  or 
even  coffins,  and  Elias  Richardson's  act  of  filial  love  in  carefully  spread- 
ing the  cape  of  his  father's  overcoat  upon  the  dead  man's  face,  lest  the  cold 
earth  should  fall  directly  upon  it.  Dr.  Warren  himself,  they  say,  had  a 
very  narrow  escape  in  the  affray.  He  ran  recklessly  into  it  when  the  Brit- 
ish were -retreating,  and  a  bullet  whizzed  past  his  head,  taking  off  one  of  the 
side  curls. 

April  2ist.  —  Our  little  town  is  the  seat  of  war.  An  army  is  gathering  in 
our  midst  in  response  to  the  call  of  the  Committee  of  Safety.  Yesterday 
immediately  after  the  affair  at  Lexington  and  Concord,  a  proclamation  to 
the  Colonies  was  issued,  urging  them  to  do  all  in  their  power  to  raise  an 
army.  "  Our  all  is  at  stake.  Death  and  devastation  are  the  certain  con- 
sequences of  delay.  Every  moment  is  infinitely  precious.  An  hour  lost 
may  deluge  your  country  in  blood  and  entail  perpetual  slavery  upon  the  few 
of  our  posterity  that  may  survive  the  carnage."  But  the  Colonies  have  not 
waited  for  the  call.  One  spirit  animates  all  —  the  determination  to  stand  by 
our  country  in  its  hour  of  need  —  and  the  universal  cry  is  Liberty  or  Death. 
Volunteers  come  from  all  quarters,  many  with  nothing  but  the  clothes  on 
their  backs,  no  money,  no  provisions.  Our  houses  are  thrown  open  to  ac- 
commodate as  far  as  possible  the  great  throng  of  men  who  have  rushed  to 
the  cause  of  liberty.  General  Ward  has  taken  the  chief  command  and  is 
doing  his  best  to  bring  order  out  of  this  chaos.  The  Committee  of  Safety 
have  taken  up  their  quarters  at  Mr.  Hastings's  house,2  and  General  Ward  is 
also  there. 

Orders  are  issued  that  the  college  be  removed  to  Concord,  and  the  stu- 
dents are  going  ;  the  library  has  already  been  partly  carried  to  Andover. 
The  college  buildings  are  to  be  used  as  barracks  for  the  soldiers.  The  Com- 
mon is  the  rendezvous  for  military;  and  a  busy  scene  it  is,  with  its  groups 
of  excited  minute-men  and  thousand  signs  of  warlike  preparations.  A  great 

1  "  Witli  heart  and  hand  they  wrought 

According  to  their  village  light ; 
'T  was  for  the  Future  that  they  fought, 

Their  rustic  faith  in  what  was  right. 
Upon  earth's  tragic  stage  they  burst 

Unsummoned  in  the  humble  sock ; 
Theirs  the  fifth  act ;  the  curtain  first 

Rose  long  ago  on  Charles's  block."  —  Lowell. 

2  Known  as  the  Holmes  house.  —  ED. 


Citizens  exiled  from  Boston.  21 

many  of  our  townspeople  have  run  away,  as  this  influx  of  soldiers  has  come. 
Tory  Row  is  nearly  deserted.  The  widow  of  Major  Henry  Yassall  has  left 
her  house  and  sought  a  place  of  safety.  Colonel  Stark  has  his  property  in 
charge.  All  that  cannot  be  made  of  use  to  our  army  is  sent  to  Boston. 
The  barns  will  be  used  to  store  forage  for  our  cavalry  horses.  Mr. 
John  Borland  has  abandoned  his  home  1  and  it  is  taken  by  the  Committee 
of  Safety.  Major  Phipps,  too,2  thinks  discretion  the  better  part  of  valor, 
and  has  departed.  We  have  but  little  of  the  Tory  element  among  us  now. 
The  Tories  who  remain  are  lukewarm  in  their  principles. 

April  2^th.  —  Boston  is  in  great  distress,  the  very  centre,  as  it  is,  of  the 
war;  in  the  hands  of  a  cruel  and  insolent  soldiery,  and  deprived  of  its  sup- 
plies from  the  surrounding  country.  We  cannot  realize  how  hard  a  life  its 
poor  besieged  inhabitants  must  lead. 

April  2$th.  —  Good  news  for  Boston  sufferers  !  General  Gage  has  pro- 
posed a  treaty,  as  much  for  his  own  safety  and  that  of  his  troops,  as  from 
any  kindlier  motives,  and  agrees  "  that  upon  the  inhabitants  in  general 
lodging  their  arms  in  Faneuil  Hall,  or  any  other  convenient  place,  under  the 
care  of  the  selectmen,  marked  with  the  names  of  the  respective  owners, 
that  all  such  inhabitants  as  are  inclined  may  depart  from  the  town,  with 
their  families  and  effects,  and  those  who  remain  may  depend  on  his  protec- 
tion, and  that  the  arms  aforesaid,  at  a  suitable  time,  will  be  returned  to  the 
owners."  He  promises  that  the  poor  shall  be  provided  for,  and  asks  "  that 
those  persons  in  the  country  who  might  incline  to  move  into  Boston  with 
their  effects,  might  have  liberty  to  do  so  without  molestation."  This  pro- 
posal is  gladly  accepted,  and  the  conditions  agreed  to  as  just  and  reason- 
able. 

April  zgth.  —  The  road  to  Roxbury  is  a  busy  scene,  covered,  as  it  is, 
with  an  ever  lengthening  procession  of  voluntary  exiles  from  Boston,  and 
crowded  with  loyal  subjects  of  the  King,  anxious  to  hide  themselves  under 
the  protecting  care  of  his  Majesty's  troops.  The  Provincial  Congress  has 
ordered  that  provision  be  made  for  the  Boston  exiles  in  the  villages  further 
inland  in  our  Colony,  and  as  many  as  five  thousand  are  distributed  among 
different  hospitable  towns.  Our  army  is  in  a  most  pitiable  condition. 
There  is  great  and  terrible  want  of  powder,  muskets,  and  other  necessaries. 
Congress  has  offered  a  reward  for  the  discovery  of  the  best  mode  of  mak- 
ing saltpetre,  and  all  possible  efforts  are  being  made  to  supply  the  need  of 
clothing,  tents,  and  fire-arms.  But  I  am  sure  we  need  have  no  fears  that 
these  raw  recruits,  as  they  seem  by  the  side  of  the  disciplined  army  of  his 
Majesty,  will  not  hold  their  own  and  do  and  dare  even  to  death  in  defence  of 
our  country's  liberty.  We  have  had  proof  of  their  bravery  in  our  late 
French  war,  and  their  training  then  and  since  is  not  to  be  despised,  as  the 
Redcoats  found  out  to  their  cost  at  Lexington  and  Concord.  Our  officers, 
too  are  men  of  skill  and  experience. 

1  The  Apthorp  House.  — En. 

2  He  occupied  a  large  mansion  on  the  present  Arrow  Street.  —  ED 


22  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dudley. 

Every  one  knows  that  "  Putnam  dares  to  lead  where  any  dare  to  follow," 
and  the  very  name  of  "  Old  Put  "  is  a  synonym  for  bravery.  Then  there  is 
Prescott,  who  "  will  never  be  taken  alive  "  by  the  enemy,  the  veteran  Stark, 
and  Ward  and  Pomeroy.  With  these  we  have  Dr.  Warren,  a  host  in 
himself,  the  President  of  our  Committee  of  Safety  and  also  of  Congress. 
He  is  a  wonder  to  us,  so  full  of  energy  and  enthusiasm,  always  awake  to 
the  necessities  of  the  country,  and  with  such  unbounded  influence  over  the 
soldiers.  He  it  was  who  despatched  the  messengers  to  alarm  the  sleeping 
country  that  memorable  night  when  the  British  slipped  away  so  secretly  on 
their  errand  of  mischief.  While  the  lanterns  hung  from  the  belfry  of  the 
North  Church  in  Boston,  he  said  to  a  friend  as  he  left  the  town,  "  Keep  up  a 
brave  heart ;  they  have  begun  it.  That  either  party  may  do.  We  shall  end 
it ;  that  only  one  can  do."  And  Warren's  name  is  only  one  of  a  list  to  which 
Hancock,  Church,  Devens,  Orne,  White,  Palmer,  and  Watson  belong. 

May  zoth.  —  Congress  has  met  in  Philadelphia  and  appointed  Mr.  Hancock 
president  in  place  of  Mr.  Peyton  Randolph  resigned.  Mr.  Hancock  is  very 
popular,  and  his  vast  wealth  and  influence  are  all  used  in  the  interests  of  our 
country.  It  is  said  that  when  the  question  was  discussed  in  the  North  End 
Club  of  Mechanics,  of  which  he  was  an  active  member,  how  best  to  drive  tlie 
British  troops  from  Boston,  he  cried  :  "  Burn  Boston  and  make  John  Han- 
cock a  beggar  if  the  public  good  requires  it."  So  we  have  a  patriot  at  the 
head  of  our  Congress. 

News  has  come  of  the  capture  of  Ticonderoga  on  the  loth  of  this  month 
by  Colonel  Ethan  Allen  and  the  Green  Mountain  Boys.  It  was  accom- 
plished without  loss  of  life  on  either  side,  by  the  desperate  daring  of  the 
hardy  mountaineers.  They  rushed  into  the  fort  in  the  early  morning, 
frightened  the  garrison  by  the  Indian  war-whoop,  and  were  led  by  the  as- 
tounded sentry,  who  made  but  feeble  resistance,  to  the  apartment  of  the 
commander.  "  Come  forth  instantly  or  I  will  sacrifice  the  whole  garrison  ! " 
was  the  thundering  command  which  brought  him  to  the  door.  "  Deliver 
me  the  fort  instantly,"  said  Allen.  "  By  what  authority  ?  "  asked  the  aston- 
ished commander.  "  In  the  name  of  the  great  Jehovah  and  the  Continental 
Congress  !  "  was  the  reply.  After  a  short  hesitation,  he  surrendered  the 
fortress,  ordering  the  garrison  to  parade  without  arms.  This  is  a  valuable 
acquisition,  the  fort  containing  a  large  number  of  cannon,  stores,  and  small 
arms. 

Dr.  Franklin  has  arrived  from  England  and  is  appointed  Postmaster- 
General,  also  a  member  of  the  Committee  of  Safety  and  of  the  Continental 
Congress.  Our  councils  will  gain  strength  by  the  presence  of  this  great 
man.  It  is  such  a  privilege  to  have  his  wisdom  and  experience  employed 
for  the  good  of  our  Colonies. 

May  2,T>d.  —  So  many  of  the  Boston  people  have  removed  from  the  town 
that  General  Gage  has  become  alarmed,  thinking  that  all  the  patriots  will 
go,  and  then  there  will  be  no  restraint  upon  our  troops,  to  assure  the  safety 


Martial  Law  proclaimed  by  Gage.  23 

of  the  besieged  town.  He  has  broken  his  promise  and  forbidden  "all  mer- 
chandise, provisions,  and  medicine"  from  passing  into  the  country,  and 
guards  are  appointed  "  to  examine  all  trunks,  boxes,  beds,  and  everything 
else  to  be  carried  out."  Passes,  too,  are  refused  now,  and  many  who  had 
procured  them  are  obliged  to  go  without  their  property,  and  in  several  in- 
stances families  are  cruelly  divided,  and  unprotected  women  and  children 
left  with  no  means  of  support.  Their  condition  must  be  wretched  indeed  ! 

May  -2.6th.  —  A  re-enforcement  from  England  for  the  Redcoats,  making 
their  army  count. up  to  as  many  as  ten  thousand  men.  They  are  jubilant 
over  this  new  force,  which  brings  with  it  Generals  Sir» William  Howe,  Clinton, 
and  Burgoyne. 

June  i^th.  —  General  Gage  has  issued  a  proclamation  beginning : 
"  Whereas  the  infatuated  multitudes,  who  have  long  suffered  themselves  to 
be  conducted  by  certain  well-known  incendiaries  and  traitors,  in  a  fatal  pro- 
gression of  crimes  against  the  constitutional  authority  of  the  state,  have  at 
length  proceeded  to  avowed  rebellion,  and  the  good  effects  which  were  ex- 
pected to  arise  from  the  patience  and  lenity  of  the  King's  government  have 
been  often  frustrated,  and  are  now  rendered  hopeless,  by  the  influence  of  the 
same  evil  counsels,  it  only  remains  for  those  who  are  entrusted  with  the  su- 
preme rule,  as  well  for  the  punishment  of  the  guilty,  as  the  protection  of 
the  well  affected,  to  prove  that  they  do  not  bear  the  sword  in  vain."  He 
then  goes  on  to  declare  martial  law  and  to  pronounce  those  in  arms  "  to  be 
rebels  and  traitors,"  and  offers  pardon  to  all  who  will  return  to  loyalty  with 
exception  of  Samuel  Adams  and  John  Hancock,  "  whose  offences  are  of  too 
flagitious  a  nature  to  admit  of  any  other  consideration  than  that  of  condign 
punishment."  This  is  an  honor  many  a  patriot  would  gladly  risk  his  life  to 
receive,  and  only  serves  to  strengthen  the  opposition  and  weaken  the  cord 
which  binds  our  Colonies  to  old  England. 

June  \$th.  —  I  heard  to-day  that  when  the  three  British  generals  with  the 
re-enforcement  were  sailing  into  Boston  harbor  they  met  a  packet  coming 
out,  and  General  Burgoyne  asked  of  the  skipper,  "What  news  is  there  ?" 
The  reply  was  that  Boston  was  surrounded  by  ten  thousand  country  people. 
"  How  many  regulars  in  Boston  ?  "  was  his  next  question.  "  Five  thousand." 
"  What !  "  said  the  British  officer.  "  Ten  thousand  peasants  keep  five 
thousand  King's  troops  shut  up  !  Well,  let  us  get  in,  and  we  '11  soon  find 
elbow-room." 

June  \6th.  —  Colonel  Prescott  is  ordered  to  be  ready  with  a  thousand  men 
this  evening  to  parade  on  the  Common  before  marching  for  Charlestown. 
The  men  are  all  farmers,  and  have  no  uniform,  and  no  arms  except  fowling- 
pieces  without  bayonets,  and  carry  in  horns  and  pouches  their  small 
supply  of  powder  and  bullets.  Colonel  Prescott  was  dressed  in  simple  blue 
with  three-cornered  hat,  his  tall,  commanding  figure  erect  with  courage,  his 
eye  beaming  with  enthusiasm.  At  a  signal  there  was  a  profound  silence, 
while  President  Langdon,  who  is  their  chaplain  pro.  tern.,  offered  an  earnest 


24  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dudley. 

and  touching  prayer  for  the  safety  of  these  brave  men,  as  they  go  up  to 
battle  with  the  enemy.1  At  nine  o'clock  they  marched,  two  sergeants  carry- 
ing dark  lanterns  in  front,  and  in  the  rear  the  tools  for  throwing  up  entrench- 
ments. The  soldiers  are  ignorant  of  the  object  of  their  march,  and  will  not 
be  told  till  they  reach  its  end.  Now  they  have  gone  and  we  are  left  in  sus- 
pense. What  will  be  the  result  ?  We  can  only  echo  President  Langdon's 
prayer :  "  Go  with  them,  O,  Our  Father,  keep  them  in  the  hollow  of  Thy 
hand,  cover  them  with  Thy  protecting  care,  and  bring  them  back  to  us  vic- 
torious." 

Saturday,  June  17 th? — We  were  in  great  anxiety  to  know  the  result  of 
last  night's  march,  when  soon  after  dinner  the  bells  began  to  ring,  the  drums 
beat  to  arms,  and  there  was  great  confusion  and  noise.  Adjutants  gallopped 
here  and  there,  crying,  "  Turn  out,  turn  out ;  the  enemy 's  all  landed  at 
Charlestown."  Captain  Putnam  brought  orders  from  his  father  to  all  the 
Connecticut  troops  to  march  immediately  to  Bunker  Hill,  to  the  relief  of 
Colonel  Prescott.  Captain  Chester's  company  from  Wethersfield,  which  is 
quartered  in  Christ  Church,  and  all  of  Old  Put's  soldiers  in  town,  marched  im- 
mediately, and  General  Warren,  who  arrived  this  morning  from  Watertown, 
has  gone  to  the  field  of  battle.  We  can  hear  the  booming  of  the  cannon 
and  see  the  smoke  arising  from  Charlestown,  which  the  British  have  set  on 
fire.  It  is  a  terrific  battle.  Our  noble  men  defend  their  own  works  gallantly, 
and  will  not  yield,  we  know,  till  the  last  moment.  It  is  feared  that  the  want 
of  ammunition  will  force  them  to  retreat  before  the  greater  numbers  of  the 
enemy. 

June  i8M.  —  How  can  I  write  of  the  great  and  terrible  loss  which  has  come 
to  us  in  the  death  of  our  beloved  Dr.  Warren.  Yes,  he  is  killed,  pierced 
through  the  brain  by  a  British  bullet,  and  left  dead  on  the  field.  When  he 
was  hurrying  to  the  battle,  and  some  one  warned  him  to  spare  himself,  he  re- 
plied :  "  Dulce  et  decorum  est  pro  patria  mori."  At  Bunker  Hill,  though 
tendered  the  command  by  both  Putnam  and  Prescott,  he  declined,  and  took 
his  place  with  the  common  soldiers,  musket  in  hand,  to  do  his  part  in  de- 
fending the  hill.  When  they  were  driven  to  surrender,  he  was  the  last  to 
leave  the  ramparts,  and  fell  bravely  fighting.  Many  others  of  our  brave  men 
are  gone,  but  none  so  valuable  to  the  country  as  General  Warren.  He  was 
appointed  major-general  only  three  days  ago.  Our  enemies  rejoice  at  our 
loss  (and  well  they  may),  but  their  victory  is  a  dear  one  to  them,  and  one 
they  will  not  care  to  buy  again  at  the  same  price.  Eleven  hundred  of  their 
choicest  men,  including  a  great  many  officers,  is  no  small  loss,  when  they  re- 
ceive in  exchange  only  a  little  hill  overlooking  Boston.  One  hundred  and 
forty-five  are  killed,  and  three  hundred  and  four  wounded  among  our  noble 
soldiers.  It  really  is  wonderful  how  a  small  body  of  undisciplined  farmers 
could  stand  so  long  against  an  army  of  English  regulars.  It  is  owing  to  the 

1  Authorities  do  not  agree  as  to  the  precise  position  occupied  by  the  President  when  offering  this 
prayer.  —  ED. 


Washington  appointed  Commander.  25 

personal  courage  and  patriotism  of  every  individual  soldier,  as  well  as  their  in- 
trepid leadership  ;  and  the  great  caution  exercised  in  the  use  of  powder,  every 
grain  of  which  served  its  purpose.  Old  Put,  just  before  the  battle,  said  : 
"  Powder  is  scarce,  my  men,  and  must  not  be  wasted.  Don't  fire  at  the  en- 
emy till  you  see  the  whites  of  their  eyes  —  then  fire  low,  aim  at  their  waist- 
bands. You  are  all  marksmen,  and  can  kill  a  squirrel  at  a  hundred  yards. 
Reserve  your  fire,  and  the  enemy  is  destroyed.  Aim  at  the  handsome  coats 
—  pick  out  the  commanders."  Colonel  Stark  says  that  "  the  dead  lay  as 
thick  as  sheep  in  a  fold,"  on  the  new-mown  hay  which  covered  Bunker  Hill. 
Our  brave  men  have  freely  given  their  lives  for  their  country,  and  convinced 
the  world  that  we,  as  a  people,  are  in  earnest  and  ready  to  die  for  our  cause. 
Dr.  Franklin  says  :  "  Americans  will  fight  ;  England  has  lost  her  Colonies 
forever." 

June  \<)th. —  It  is  feared  that  the  British  will  follow  up  their  victory  and 
sally  forth  into  the  surrounding  country,  and  perhaps  attack  our  camps. 
General  Putnam  is  busy  throwing  up  entrenchments  on  Prospect  Hill,  work- 
ing day  and  night,  that  he  maybe  ready  to  oppose  their  progress,  while  forts 
and  earthworks  are  building  almost  by  magic  around  our  town. 

June  22d.  —  Our  poor  wounded  men  are  coming  in  wagons  to  the  hospitals 
that  are  improvised  in  town.  Colonel  Phipps's,  and  Major  Henry  VassalPs 
houses,  and,  further  up  Tory  Row,  Lieutenant-Governor  Oliver's,  and  Mr. 
George  Ruggles's,  are  used  for l  their  accommodation.  We  are  doing  our 
best  to  provide  lint  and  bandages  for  them.  Congress  has  appointed  a  day 
of  fasting  and  prayer,  that  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  may,  by  God's  bless- 
ing, be  followed  by  great  success  to  our  arms.  Dr.  Appleton  preached  last 
Sabbath,  a  most  stirring  sermon.  Many  of  the  soldiers  from  camp  were 
at  church.  And  from  the  hospitals  they  came  too,  here  and  there  one  whose 
injuries  are  light  enough  to  permit  him  to  be  out. 

June  26th.  —  Our  army  at  last  is  to  have  a  commander-in-chief.  Our 
Congress  at  Philadelphia  has  appointed  Colonel  George  Washington  of  Vir- 
ginia, "  General  and  Commander-in-chief  of  the  Army  of  the  United  Colo- 
nies, and  all  the  forces  now  raised  or  to  be  raised  by  them."  He  is  to  come 
immediately  to  camp  to  take  command,  and  is  now  on  his  way.  The  Pro- 
vincial Congress  at  Watertown  has  resolved  that  the  president's  house,  with 
the  exception  of  one  room,  reserved  by  the  President  for  his  own  use,  be 
taken,  cleared,  prepared  and  furnished  for  the  reception  of  General  Wash- 
ington and  General  Lee.  The  appointment  of  General  Washington  is  very 
popular.  They  say  he  is  a  man  in  every  way  fitted  for  this  position,  and  his 
election  is  unanimous. 

July  ^d.  —  General  Washington  is  here.  Yesterday  he  arrived,  by  way  of 
Watertown,  where  he  was  received  by  Congress  with  a  congratulatory  ad- 
dress, and  escorted  to  Cambridge  by  a  troop  of  light  horse.  He  went  imme- 
diately to  his  quarters  at  the  president's  house.  It  was  just  as  we  were  re- 

1  The  Lowell  house  and  the  Wells  house.  —  ED. 


26  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dudley. 

turning  from  church,  and  our  curiosity  to  see  the  man  of  whom  we  have 
heard  so  much  was  satisfied.  He  is  a  large  man,  tall  and  well-proportioned  ; 
his  face  noble  in  its  suggestion  of  strength,  and  dignity,  and  modesty.  Our 
expectations  are  more  than  realized.  His  appearance  is  one  to  inspire  con- 
fidence and  love,  and  to  make  us  grateful  for  the  possession  of  such  a  chief. 
To-day  he  formally  took  command,  under  one  of  the  grand  old  elms  on 
the  Common.  It  was  a  magnificent  sight.  The  majestic  figure  of  the  Gen- 
eral, mounted  upon  his  horse  beneath  the  wide-spreading  branches  of  the 
patriarch  tree ; 1  the  multitude  thronging  the  plain  around,  and  the  houses 
filled  with  interested  spectators  of  the  scene,  while  the  air  rung  with  shouts 
of  enthusiastic  welcome,  as  he  drew  his  sword,  and  thus  declared  himself 
Commander-in-chief  of  the  Continental  army.  He  will  find  his  task  a  hard 
one,  that  of  making  an  army  out  of  the  rude  material  gathered  from  all  parts 
of  our  Colonies.  General  Ward,  who  already  commands  the  troops  around 
Boston,  Colonel  Charles  Lee,  who  has  resigned  his  commission  in  the  King's 
service,  General  Philip  Schuyler  of  New  York,  and  Israel  Putnam,  "  Old 
Put,"  are  appointed  major-generals.  These  all  will  surely  find  their  hands 
full  of  work,  in  putting  this  body  of  fifteen  thousand  men  into  readiness  for 
war,  there  is  so  much  confusion  in  camp,  so  little  discipline,  and  such  terri- 
ble want  of  supplies  of  every  kind.  And  this  want  must  be  kept  an  utter 
secret  from  the  enemy  in  Boston.  General  Washington's  staff  consists  of 
Major  Thomas  Mifflin  of  Philadelphia,  first  aid-de-camp,  Major  John  Trum- 
bull,  son  of  Governor  Trumbull  of  Connecticut,  second  aid-de-camp,  Colonel 
Joseph  Reed  of  Philadelphia,  private  secretary,  and  Horatio  Gates,  adjutant- 
general.  Major  Trumbull  is  quite  a  clever  artist,  and  gained  the  favor  of 
the  Commander-in-chief  by  a  very  correct  drawing  of  the  enemy's  works  in 
Boston.  He  is  a  young  man  of  fine  appearance  and  abilities.  Major  Mif- 
flin is  a  universal  favorite,  full  of  activity  and  enthusiasm.  Colonel  Reed  is 
a  gentleman  of  rich  culture,  and  invaluable  to  Washington  as  his  confiden- 
tial clerk.  General  Gates  is  popular  and  useful. 

July  igth.  —  General  Washington  is  a  most  wonderful  commander.  His 
personal  influence  is  unbounded.  There  is  something  magnetic  about  him, 
drawing  from  others  their  fullest  confidence.  He  is  most  conscientious  in 
his  discharge  of  every  duty,  and  is  accomplishing  miracles  among  the  sol- 
diers. 

The  army  is  besieging  Boston  from  all  the  surrounding  country,  being  sta- 
tioned in  a  semicircle  from  Charlestown  to  Dorchester,  eight  or  nine  miles. 
Colonel  Prescott  is  entrenched  in  the  woods  between  Cambridge  and  Lech- 
mere's  Point,  and  "  Old  Put  "  is  at  Prospect  Hill.  He  has  raised  the  Con- 
necticut flag  on  the  ramparts.  On  one  side  the  banner  has  the  motto,  "  An 
Appeal  to  Heaven,"  and  on  the  other  side  the  three  vines,  the  armorial 

1      "  Under  the  brave  old  tree 
Our  fathers  gathered  in  arms,  and  swore 
They  would  follow  the  sign  their  banners  bore, 
And  fight  till  the  land  was  free."  —  Dr.  Holmes. 


Reasons  for  Rebellion.  27 

bearings  of  that  Colony,  with  the  legend,  "  Oui  Transtulit  Sustinet."  This 
was  thrown  to  the  air  immediately  after  the  reading  of  the  Declaration  of 
Congress,  setting  forth  the  reasons  for  taking  up  arms  against  England,  and 
the  shouts  of  the  soldiers  were  so  loud  as  to  frighten  the  enemy  on  Bunker 
Hill,  who  rushed  to  arms,  believing  an  immediate  attack  was  to  be  made. 

This  manifesto  declares  that  "  Our  cause  is  just.  Our  Union  is  perfect. 
Our  internal  resources  are  great,  and,  if  necessary,  foreign  assistance  is 
undoubtedly  attainable.  We  gratefully  acknowledge  as  signal  instances  of 
divine  favor  toward  us,  that  His  providence  would  not  permit  us  to  be 
called  into  this  severe  controversy,  until  we  were  grown  up  to  our  present 
strength,  had  been  previously  exercised  in  warlike  operations,  and  possessed 
of  the  means  of  defending  ourselves.  With  hearts  fortified  with  these  ani- 
mating reflections,  we  most  solemnly,  before  God  and  the  world,  declare, 
that  exerting  the  utmost  energy  of  those  powers  which  our  beneficent  Cre- 
ator hath  graciously  bestowed  upon  us,  the  arms  we  have  been  compelled  by 
our  enemies  to  assume,  we  will,  in  defiance  of  every  hazard,  with  unabating 
firmness  and  perseverance,  employ  for  the  preservation  of  our  liberties,  be- 
ing with  one  mind  resolved  to  die  free  men  rather  than  to  live  slaves." 

July  2oth.  —  Fast  Day.  Services  in  church  and  camp.  Soldiers  are  ordered 
to  attend  public  worship,  but  to  take  with  them  their  arms  and  ammunition, 
to  be  ready  for  battle  at  a  moment's  notice.  I  saw  to-day  part  of  a  British 
officer's  letter  to  a  friend  in  England,  which  failed  of  its  destination.  He 
speaks  eloquently  of  our  beautiful  Colony,  which  now  is  besprinkled  with 
forts  and  camps,  and  all  the  paraphernalia  of  war  :  "  The  country  is  most 
beautifully  tumbled  about  in  hills  and  valleys,  rocks  and  woods,  interspersed 
with  straggling  villages,  with  here  and  there  a  spire  peeping  over  the  trees, 
and  the  country  of  the  most  charming  green  that  delighted  eye  ever  gazed 
on.".  Would  that  he  and  his  countrymen  were  loath  to  disturb  the  quiet 
beauty  of  this  land  by  the  terrible  sights  and  sounds  of  war.  Our  need  of 
ammunition  is  so  great  that  we  are  called  upon  to  give  up  our  window 
weights,  to  be  moulded  into  bullets  ;  and  even  the  tombs  in  the  old  ceme- 
tery are  robbed  of  their  leaden  coats-of-arms,  and  Christ  Church  of  its 
metal  organ-pipes  for  the  same  purpose.  The  very  mention  of  powder  sets 
every  one  in  a  shiver.  General  Washington  sat  for  a  full  half  hour  without 
speaking,  when,  in  the  general  council,  upon  his  first  arrival,  he  was  told  of 
the  great  want  of  that  death-dealing  substance.  But,  in  spite  of  its  being 
so  ill-prepared  for  contest,  General  Washington  acknowledges  that  there  is 
good  material  in  the  army,  made  up  as  it  is  "  of  a  great  number  of  men, 
able-bodied,  active,  zealous  in  the  cause,  and  of  unquestionable  courage." 
General  Washington  himself  has  thrown  up  the  first  sod  preparatory  to 
building  a  fort  near  the  river;  and  the  swamps  and  marshes  are  dotted  with 
laborers  whose  whole  heart  is  in  their  work.  The  Soden  Farm  and  the 
pine  banks  and  oyster  banks  are  not  to  be  without  redoubts.  This  matter 
of  entrenchments  absorbs  the  time  and  thoughts  of  every  one. 


28  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dudley. 

July  2$th.  —  A  company  of  riflemen,  commanded  by  Captain  Thompson, 
has  joined  our  army,  —  a  most  singular  body  of  men,  dressed  in  Indian 
costume,  with  brown  linen  hunting-jackets  confined  by  wampum  belt,  leg- 
gings and  moccasins  elaborately  trimmed  with  beads,  and  a  simple  round  hat. 
Each  carries  a  tomahawk  or  knife  stuck  in  his  belt,  and  his  own  unerring 
rifle  which  he  brought  from  his  home  in  the  backwoods.  They  have  all 
come  a  distance  of  four  hundred,  and  some  as  many  as  seven  hundred 
miles.  They  are  strong,  muscular  men,  looking  equal  to  any  hardships  ; 
and,  from  what  we  hear  of  their  characteristics,  we  may  be  sure  they  will 
create  havoc  among  the  Redcoats.  Since  their  early  boyhood  they  have 
been  trained  marksmen,  having  been  punished  every  time  they  failed  to  hit 
their  game  in  the  head. 

August  1st.  —  There  is  a  young  man  in  camp  whom  I  have  noticed  again 
and  again  as  he  passes  the  house.  He  is  striking  in  appearance,  though 
quite  small  and  boyish.  His  eyes  are  piercing  in  their  brightness,  and  there 
is  something  winning  in  his  manner.  His  name  is  Aaron  Burr,  a  son  of 
Rev.  Aaron  Burr,  formerly  President  of  Princeton  College,  N.  J.,  and  grand- 
son of  Rev.  Jonathan  Edwards.  Things  are  very  quiet  now  in  both  armies. 
The  enemy  is  closely  hemmed  in  on  all  sides  by  the  redoubts  thrown  up  by 
our  troops.  With  so  little  ammunition  it  is  impossible  to  make  an  attack, 
or  even  to  answer  the  volleys  from  their  guns.  The  other  day  a  shell  from 
Copp's  Hill  struck  very  near  the  president's  house,  though  no  harm  was  done, 
through  the  heroism  of  a  soldier  who  risked  his  life  in  stamping  upon  the 
still  burning  fuse.  General  Washington  has  desired  Colonel  John  Vassall's 
house  to  be  made  ready  for  him,  and  will  remove  there  as  soon  as  possible. 
Congress  has  adjourned  for  five  weeks. 

[LETTER  FROM  DOROTHY  DUDLEY  TO  MISS  ESTHER  LIVINGSTONE  OF 
PHILADELPHIA.1] 

CAMBRIDGE,  Aug.  30,  1775. 

MY  DEAREST  ESTHER,  —  I  have  an  opportunity  to  send  you  a  letter  by 
a  messenger  who  goes  to  Philadelphia  to-morrow,  and  hasten  to  improve  it, 
since  I  have  written  so  little  during  the  terrible  months  that  have  passed. 
Let  me  give  you  a  hasty  sketch  of  our  Cambridge  life  since  the  day  when 
American  blood  was  shed -by  British  troops  on  Lexington  Common.  Of 
course  it  is  all  familiar  to  you  through  the  public  prints, —  the  hanging 
of  the  lantern  from  the  belfry  tower  ;  the  midnight  cry  which  roused  every 
one  from  sleep ;  the  hurried  preparations  for  the  fight ;  the  defeat  of  the 
haughty  Redcoats  with  a  loss  of  nearly  three  hundred  from  their  ranks, 
which  cost  our  militia  nearly  one  hundred  brave  men.  But  you  can  form 
no  idea  of  the  horrors  which  fastened  themselves  upon  the  poor  distressed 
people  of  our  town.  Women,  whose  husbands  had  rushed  to  the  affray, 

1  The  Editor  inserts  this  lively  letter  at  this  point  because  it  very  pleasantly  complements  the  narra- 
tive of  the  Diary. 


The  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  29 

beside  themselves  with  fright,  started  off  in  search  of  a  place  of  safety, 
carrying  with  them  their  children  and  such  household  goods  as  they  gath- 
ered together  in  their  haste.  Mrs.  Dr.  Winthrop  in  the  confusion  made 
her  way  with  a  number  of  others  toward  Fresh  Pond,  and  passed  through 
the  battle-ground  at  Menotomy,  where  lay  the  dead  bodies  of  both  British 
and  American  soldiers.  The  fugitives  were  sent  to  Andover,  as  it  was  un- 
safe for  them  to  return  to  Cambridge. 

The  affair  that  day  was  the  signal  for  war ;  and  it  needed  not  the  appeal 
for  volunteers  to  bring  together  hundreds  and  thousands  of  brave  men  on 
fire  with  enthusiasm  and  eager  for  battle.  Our  town  was  deluged  with  sol- 
diers for  the  time  ;  and  General  Heath,  the  superior  officer,  was  at  his  wits' 
end  to  keep  order  in  the  midst  of  so  much  coming  and  going.  Many  of  the 
men  stayed  but  a  few  days,  and  returned  to  their  homes  to  make  prepara- 
tions for  joining  the  army  permanently.  General  Artemas  Ward,  the  vet- 
eran soldier,  was  put  at  the  head  of  affairs  almost  immediately,  and  the  work 
of  levying  an  army  went  on  rapidly. 

You  know  about  Bunker  Hill,  and  the  loss  of  our  brave  Dr.  Warren,  who 
is  deeply  mourned  by  all.  The  memory  of  that  day  will  live  in  American 
hearts,  so  long  as  one  spark  of  patriotism  burns  in  our  beloved  land.  Pres- 
cott  out-did  himself,  I  have  heard,  in  his  efforts  to  spur  the  men  on  in  de- 
fence of  their  works.  He  walked  back  and  forth  in  the  redoubt,  talking 
cheerily  all  the  time,  and  firing  the  men  with  his  own  flaming  enthusiasm. 
General  Gage,  watching  our  troops  through  his  glass,  inquired  who  this  in- 
trepid officer  was.  A  brother-in-law  of  Colonel  Prescott's  told  him. 

"  Will  he  fight  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  he  is  an  old  soldier,  and  will  fight  as  long  as  a  drop  of  blood 
remains  in  his  veins." 

"  The  works  must  be  carried,"  was  the  British  general's  reply. 

And  they  were  carried,  as  you  know,  though  with  terrible  loss  to  the  Brit- 
ish army.  Colonel  Prescott  said  after  the  battle,  that  he  had  not  done 
enough  to  satisfy  himself,  but  we  think  he  has  immortalized  his  name. 

Come  with  me,  and  I  will  show  you  our  army,  with  our  matchless  chief  at 
its  head.  Cambridge  is  a  military  town,  the  Common  is  the  parade  ground, 
and  Massachusetts,  Stoughton,  Hollis,  and  Harvard  halls,  and  Holden 
Chapel,  so  lately  echoing  the  tread  of  students'  feet,  are  occupied  as 
barracks.  The  beautiful  college  green  is  disfigured  by  earthworks,  thrown 
up  in  the  spring,  in  anticipation  of  an  attack  from  the  enemy.  Christ 
Church  x  is  occupied  by  soldiers,  owing  to  scarcity  of  tents.  Rev.  Mr.  Ser- 

1  "  Our  ancient  church !  its  lowly  tower, 

Beneath  the  loftier  spire, 
Is  shadowed  when  the  sunset  hour 

Clothes  the  tall  shaft  in  fire ; 
It  sinks  beyond  the  distant  eye, 

Long  ere  the  glittering  vane 
High  wheeling  in  the  western  sky, 

Has  faded  o'er  the  plain."—  O.  IV.  Holmes. 


The  Tories  vacate  their  Houses.  31 

jeant,  its  rector,  has  been  obliged  to  leave  town,  driven  away  on  account  of 
his  adherence  to  the  King.  Many  houses  on  the  Menotomy  road,1  have  been 
given  to  the  army  as  quarters,  and  you  see  military  in  all  corners.  Boston 
is  encircled  with  our  troops  ;  actually  hemmed  in,  though  we  are  weak  by 
reason  of  the  sad  want  of  powder  and  other  necessary  supplies.  You  re- 
member Colonel  Vassall's  2  magnificent  house  on  the  road  to  Watertown.  It 
is  taken  by  our  government,  and  is  now  General  Washington's  head-quar- 
ters. Major  Henry  Vassall's,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  road,8  is  a  hospital 
for  the  wounded  at  Bunker  Hill. 

Judge  Lee,  being  lukewarm  in  his  Tory  principles,  and  not  interfering  in 
politics,  is  allowed  to  retain  his  fine  old  mansion,  the  frame  of  which  was 
brought  from  the  old  country,  years  before  the  present  owner  was  born. 
Mr.  Jonathan  Sewall,4  you  know,  has  fled,  and  Captain  George  Ruggles.5 
The  latter's  house  is  filled  with  wounded  soldiers  just  now,  as  is  also  Colonel 
Phipps's,6  which  you  remember.  Mr.  Ralph  Inman  has  left  his  estate,  and 
Old  Put  makes  the  house  his  head-quarters,  his  troops  occupying  barracks 
on  the  grounds.  On  that  terrible  iQth  of  April,  when  the  affray  at  Lexing- 
ton had  filled  the  very  air  with  horror,  many  families,  frightened  from  their 
homes  by  the  sounds  of  approaching  battle,  congregated  at  Mr.  Dana's 
house  on  Butler's  Hill,7  and  there  our  good  pastor,  Dr.  Appleton,  met  his 
little  flock,  to  comfort  and  cheer  their  timid  hearts,  and  lead  their  thoughts 
upward  to  Him  whose  arm  is  strong  to  help  in  time  of  need.  While  en- 
gaged in  fervent  prayer,  the  cry  was  heard,  "  The  Redcoats  are  running," 
and  with  thankful  haste  the  patriotic  minister  said  "  Amen,"  and  the  com- 
pany dispersed. 

You  remember  Dr.  Appleton,  with  his  kindly  eyes  and  benevolent  smile. 
I  must  tell  you  an  anecdote  characteristic  of  him,  in  the  days  when  Har- 
vard College  harbored  roguish  students  within  its  walls,  in  place  of  its 
present  occupants.  The  Doctor  had  a  number  of  hens.  Some  mischievous 
boys,  thinking  to  have  a  feast  at  his  expense,  one  night  made  a  visit  to 

1  Now  North  Avenue.  —  ED. 

2  Now  the  home  of  the  poet,  Longfellow,  who  says  of  it :  — 

"  Once,  ah,  once,  within  these  walls, 
One  whom  memory  oft  recalls, 
The  Father  of  his  Country  dwelt ; 
And  yonder  meadows  broad  and  damp, 
The  fires  of  the  besieging  camp, 
Encircled  with  a  burning  belt. 
Up  and  down  these  echoing  stairs, 
Heavy  with  the  weight  of  cares, 
Sounded  his  majestic  tread ; 
Yes,  within  this  very  room 
Sat  he  in  those  hours  of  gloom, 
Weary  both  in  heart  and  head."  —  ED. 

3  The  Batchelder  house.  —  ED.  *  Mr.  John  firewater's  house.  —  ED. 
«  Wells  house.  —  ED.  '  On  Arrow  Street.  — ED. 

i  Now  Dana  Hill.  — ED. 


32  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Diidlcy. 

his  hen-roost.  The  good  Doctor  had  an  inkling  of  their  errand,  and  stationed 
himself  in  the  friendly  shadow  of  a  tree,  to  watch  and  listen.  There  were 
two  of  them  —  one  remained  below  as  sentinel,  the  other  climbed  the  roost 
to  procure  the  game.  One  by  one  he  wrung  the  necks  of  the  astonished 
and  unresisting  fowls,  and  tossed  them  to  the  ground.  At  last  he  came  to 
the  old  rooster,  and  called  down  in  a  whisper  :  "  Say,  Jack,  here 's  the  old 
rooster.  Shall  we  take  him  ? "  Jack,  meanwhile,  had  been  alarmed  by  a 
rustling  noise  behind  him,  and,  turning,  discovered  his  pastor.  Without 
a  word  he  precipitately  departed,  leaving  his  friend  alone.  He,  too,  had 
heard  the  sound,  though  ignorant  of  its  cause.  Again  he  cautiously  spoke  : 
"  Quick,  Jack,  say  shall  we  take  him  ?  "  A  voice  in  the  same  tone  replied, 
"  Yes,  we  '11  have  him.  He  '11  make  a  nice  stew.  Hand  him  down."  Down 
he  came,  and  with  him  the  thief,  who,  in  consternation,  recognized,  not  the 
partner  of  his  guilt,  but  the  good  man  whom  they  were  robbing.  Not  a 
word  was  spoken  ;  silently  each  went  his  way.  In  a  day  or  two  the  whole 
class,  of  which  these  were  members,  received  a  cordial  invitation  to  dine 
with  the  Rev.  Doctor.  Every  one  complied,  and  they  sat  down  to  a  dinner  fit 
for  a  prince.  There  were  roast  fowls,  and  fricasseed  fowls,  and  broiled  fowls, 
with  all  sorts  of  tempting  dishes,  to  sharpen  the  appetite.  The  Doctor 
was  in  his  pleasantest  mood,  and  chatted  sociably  with  his  guests  during 
the  whole  of  the  repast.  When  they  had  eaten  to  their  satisfaction,  he  or- 
dered another  dish  to  be  brought  on,  saying,  "  You  must  every  one  have 
some  of  this  nice  stew,  made  from  the  old  rooster.  It  is  very  good."  No 
one  dared  refuse,  and  in  no  other  way  was  allusion  made  to  the  occasion, 
which  furnished  this  admirable  dinner.  The  Doctor,  you  may  be  sure,  was 
not  troubled  afterwards  by  thieves. 

So  you  have  seen  Mrs.  Hancock.  Is  she  not  charming  !  One  cannot 
wonder  at  Madame  Lydia  Hancock's  fondness  for  her,  and  resolve  to  secure 
the  treasure  for  her  nephew.  You  have  heard  how  carefully  she  guarded 
her  against  the  approach  of  any  invader  upon  Mr.  John  Hancock's  rights. 

I  visited  Lexington,  the  other  day,  and  trod  the  ground  so  lately  wet 
with  the  blood  of  our  noble  minute-men  ;  went  into  Mr.  Clarke's  house, 
where  "  King  "  Hancock,  and  "  Citizen  "  .Adams,  were  lodged  that  mem- 
orable night  before  the  battle,  and  walked  under  the  tree,  which  I  am  told 
sheltered  them  during  part  of  that  time  of  terror.  I  saw  the  bullet  in  the 
wall  of  the  attic  chamber  where  the  family  were  hid  at  the  time,  and  where 
Madame  Hancock  very  narrowly  escaped  death,  a  ball  grazing  her  cheek  as 
it  passed.  After  the  battle  Mr.  Hancock,  who  had  his  coach  and  four  at 
hand,  left  the  town,  accompanied  by  his  Aunt  Lydia  and  Miss  Dorothy 
Quincy,1  and  rode  to  one  of  the  neighboring  villages,  and  from  there  by 
slow  stage  to  Fairfield,  Connecticut.  Madame  Hancock  is  well  acquainted 
with  Mr.  Timothy  Edwards,  a  son  of  Rev.  Jonathan  Edwards,  and  at  his 
house  they  stopped,  and  John  Hancock  and  Dorothy  Quincy  were  made 

1  This  was  a  niece  of  the  "  Dorothy  Q.,"  immortalized  in  Dr.  Holmes's  happy  poem.  —  ED. 


John  Hancock  marries- 


33 


man  and  wife.  Mr.  Edwards  has  a  nephew  living  with  him,  whom  he  has 
adopted,  and  treats  in  all  respects  as  his  own  son.  Aaron  Burr  is  his  name. 
He  is  a  young  man  of  fascinating  manners,  and  many  accomplishments. 
He  was  much  charmed  with  Miss  Quincy,  I  have  heard,  and  she  in  turn  was 
not  insensible  to  his  attractions,  but  Madame  Hancock  kept  a  jealous  eye 


SAMUEL  ADAMS.1 


upon  them  both,  and  would  not  allow  any  advances  upon  the  part  of  the 
young  man,  toward  the  prize  reserved  for  her  nephew.  When  the  knot  was 
tied  that  made  them  one,  she  felt  at  liberty  to  breathe.  Immediately  after 
the  wedding,  they  set  out  for  Philadelphia,  which  has  been  their  home  ever 


since. 


1  This  portrait  is  from  the  one  by  Copley,  now  in  Faneuil  Hall.  —  ED. 


34  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dudley. 

I  wish  you  were  with  me  this  delightful  summer  weather.  I  sometimes 
cannot  believe  that  this  busy,  military  camp,  with  its  noise  and  confusion, 
its  drum-beating  and  parades,  its  variegated  appearance,  so  in  contrast 
to  the  quiet  look  it  was  wont  to  wear,  can  be  the  same  town  of  Cam- 
bridge I  remember  a  year  ago.  In  my  walks  I  frequently  mee,t  sad  re- 
minders of  the  reality  of  the  war  ;  sometimes  the  slow,  limping  gait,  and 
the  dull  thud  of  a  crutch,  will  call  my  attention  ;  again  a  tell-tale  sling,  will 
speak  of  the  strength  gone  from  an  arm  once  full  of  energy  in  the  country's 
service,  or  an  empty  sleeve,  or  weary  haggard,  face,  will  touch  the  deepest 
depths -of  gratitude  and  pity. 

Old  Mrs.  Trowbridge,  who  is,  you  know,  the  soul  of  goodness,  is  inde- 
fatigable in  doing  for  the  comfort  of  the  soldiers  in  the  hospitals.  I  have 
been  with  her  several  times,  to  carry  dainties  for  their  flagging  appetites, 
and  to  do  many  little  things  to  ease  the  pain  and  weariness  that  creep  into 
every  hour.  It  is  a  pleasure  to  be  able  to  break  the  monotony  of  the  long 
days,  and  sometimes  I  have  taken  a  book  —  perhaps  Bunyan's  good  old 
Allegory,  which  is  ever  fresh  and  full  of  life  —  or  better,  the  Bible,  the  one 
book  which  never  grows  old,  and  which  yields  from  its  inexhaustible  well  of 
treasure,  something  suited  to  the  individual  need  of  every  one  who  seeks 
to  draw  therefrom.  The  brightening  look  chasing  away  the  cloud  which 
shadowed  many  a  face,  has  been  more  than  enough  to  reward  me  for  my 
little  effort.  Very  glad  I  am,  if  I  can  make  the  brave  men  forget  them- 
selves in  their  eager  stones  of  battle  and  camp-life,  before  the  cruel  bullet 
brought  death  to  their  door.  Bunker  Hill,  I  have  had  rehearsed  to  me,  in 
all  the  different  aspects  it  wore  to  those  who  were  sharers  in  its  glory  and 
its  loss.  And  the  French  War,  too,  has  furnished  theme  for  many  tales  of 
adventure  and  daring  courage,  from  the  lips  of  veterans  in  the  service. 

The  Widow  Vassall's  house,  which  serves  as  a  hospital,  I  have  been 
oftener  to  than  to  others,  because  of  its  nearness  to  my  home.  This  house 
has  a  history  of  its  own  dating  back  I  don't  dare  to  say  how  many  years,  but 
somewhere  in  the  last  century,  and  was  once  the  residence  of  good  old  Gov- 
ernor Belcher.  I  have  heard  that  Governor  Belcher's  wife  was  once  on  trial 
for  her  life  in  England  for  the  murder  of  her  first  husband,  Mr.  Steele.  It 
seems  he  had  long  contemplated  suicide,  and  at  last  accomplished  the  deed, 
shooting  himself  through  the  brain  with  a  pistol.  Mrs.  Steele,  seizing  the 
weapon  from  his  hand,  was  found  by  a  servant  of  the  family  standing,  it  was 
averred,  in  a  most  suspicious  attitude.  Upon  the  testimony  of  this  witness 
she  was  tried  for  murder,  but  acquitted,  having  been  proved  entirely  inno- 
cent of  the  crime. 

Major  Henry  Vassall,  a  brother  of  Colonel  John  Vassall,  died  about  six 
years  ago  and  left  the  house  in  the  hands  of  his  widow.  It  is  a  very  fine 
old  mansion,  showing  signs  of  wealth  in  its  owners,  and  there  are  some  pe- 
culiarities in  its  style  of  building.  Major  Appleton  called  my  attention  one 
day  to  a  large  panel  in  the  wall  near  the  fire-place,  opening  which  he  stepped 


The  Brattle  House  and  Grounds.  35 

into  the  cavity  and  shut  the  door.  I  found  it  hard  to  believe  my  eyes  as  I 
saw  him  disappear  in  the  wall,  but  afterwards  made  assurance  doubly  sure 
by  peeping  into  the  closet  myself  and  discovered  ample  space  for  hiding 
treasures  of  any  description,  and  for  secreting  a  fugitive  could  he  find  air  to 
keep  him  alive.  The  grounds  of  the  Vassall  house  extend  to  those  of  the 
Brattle  estate,  which  Major  Mifflin  has  just  taken  as  his  residence.  These 
grounds  are  exquisitely  laid  out,  and  are  really  the  finest  in  New  England. 
Many  of  the  convalescent  soldiers,  able  to  stroll  about  in  the  soft  summer 
air,  have  found  welcome  for  them  to  the  Brattle  grounds  in  the  nodding 
leaves  and  grasses  and  the  sweet  odors  of  the  flowers  and  the  gentle  call 
of  the  fountain.  The  kind  Major  and  his  gentle  lady,  herself  delicate  in 
health,  both  extend  warm  sympathy  and  hospitality  to  our  brave  soldiers. 
So  you  see,  my  friend,  that  my  life  for  a  time  runs  in  a  different  current 
from  its  wont.  Our  hands  are  soldiers'  property  now  ;  jellies  are  to  be  made, 
lint  to  be  scraped,  bandages  to  be  prepared  for  waiting  wounds.  Embroidery 
is  laid  aside  and  spinning  takes  its  place.  Oh,  there  is  such  urgent  need  for 
economy  !  No  one,  out  of  the  secret,  would  believe  how  little  ammunition 
is  in  the  possession  of  our  army.  If  you  will  walk  with  me  through  the  old 
burying  ground  I  will  show  you  holes  in  the  tombs  of  our  revered  ancestors, 
made  by  the  removal  of  the  leaden  coats-of-arms.  This,  you  may  be  sure, 
would  not  be  allowed  unless  necessity  required.  You  know  the  graves  here 
date  back  fully  a  century  and  a  quarter,  and  count  among  them  those  of  the 
first  presidents  of  our  college,  as  well  as  many  who  were  held  in  honor  in 
both  public  and  private  life.  President  Charles  Chauncy,  the  second  who 
held  the  office,  died  in  1672,  and  a  long  Latin  inscription  testifies  to  his  vir- 
tues and  his  labors.  His  wife  died  four  years  previous,  and  I  have  found 
her  epitaph,  which  I  will  copy  for  you. 

MR* 

CATHARINE   CHAUNCY 

•  AGED.  LXVI  DYED  JAN.  XXIIII 

ANO    DOM  MDCLXVII- 

Upon  ye  death  of  ye  pious  Mother  in  God 
Mrs  Katharine  Chauncy,  deceased.  24.  1 1.  67. 

Here  lies  enterr'd  wth  in  this  Shrine 

A  spirit  meeke,  a  Soule  divine, 

Endew'd  wth  grace  &  piety, 

Excelling  in  humility  : 

Preferring  Gods  commands  above 

All  fine  delights,  &  this  Worlds  love, 

Whilest  here  she  live'd,  she  tooke  delight  • 

In  reading,  praying  day,  &  night ; 


36  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  DorotJiy  Dudley. 

In  faith  she  was  a  Puritan 
Daily  from  selfe  to  Christ  she  ran 
For  aid  &  help,  whilest  here  she  staid  : 
O  This  was  ye  sweet  heavenly  trade 
Of  this  renowned  matron  !  which 
Was  to  all  saints  a  Pattern  rich, 
Most  richly  fraught  wth  grace  sublime, 
With  meekenesse,  &  wth  love  divine  : 
By  hope  she  live'd,  in  faith  she  stood 
Washt  from  her  sins  wth  Xts  own  blood  : 
Active,  &  constant  she  was  here, 
In  heaven  above  ye  palme  she  weares  ; 
Wth  Xt  she  reignes,  in  heaven  she  sings 
Hosannas  to  her  Lord,  &  King. 
******** 
Death  was  ye  key,  wch  let  her  out 
********* 
Pale  gastly  death  hath  sent  his  shaft 
And  hath  by  Chance  nigh  broke  our  heart 
Deaths  volleys  sound,  sad  stormes  appeare, 
Mourning  draws  on  :  Poore  Harverd  feare, 
Least  this  sad  stroke  should  be  a  signe 
Of  suddeine  future  death  to  thine. 

J.  B.  24.  ii.  67. 

There  is  an  element  in  our  camp  life  not  to  be  overlooked — -I  mean  the 
negroes,  many  of  them  slaves,  who,  heart  and  soul,  enter  into  the  interests 
of  our  country  and  render  valuable  service  both  in  tent  and  field.  It  was  a 
colored  soldier,  you  know,  who  shot  Major  Pitcairn  at  Bunker  Hill.  Many 
of  them  are  scattered  through  the  ranks  of  the  army,  and  in  the  hospitals  and 
the  camp  faithfully  fill  offices  of  various  kinds.  Is  it  not  a  curious  custom, 
that  of  naming  the  black  boys  and  girls  for  heathen  gods  and  goddesses  ?  I 
often  laugh  at  the  dusky  Junos  and  Venuses  which  hold  sway  in  the  kitchen 
and  the  Jupiters.  and  Neptunes  and  Mercuries  who  in  the  old  days  used  to 
guide  the. rein  and  flourish  the  whip  in  proud  consciousness  of  family  dignity, 
and  now  that  their  Tory  masters  have  gone,  enlist  their  powers  for  the  com- 
fort and  care  of  the  soldiers. 

I  shall  expect  a  reply  to  my  letter  by  your  first  opportunity  for  sending. 
Be  sure  to  write  me  as  fully  of  your  life  as  I  have  written  of  my  own.  With 
love  in  abundance,  dearest  Esther,  I  am  your  very  affectionate  friend, 

DOROTHY  DUDLEY.* 

September  \oth.  —  General  Washington  is  preparing  an  expedition  to  march 
into  Canada  by  way  of  the  Kennebec  river,  through  the  wilderness  of  nprth- 

1  The  Editor  is  never  able  to  read  letters  of  the  heroic  age  of  our  country  without  a  regret  that  the 
art  of  epistolary  correspondence  has  been  suffered  to  fall  into  desuetude.  The  element  of  a  comfortable 
prolixity  seems  to  be  lost  in  our  modern  correspondence. 


The  Expedition  to  Canada.  37 

ern  Massachusetts.  It  will  include  about  eleven  hundred  men  under  the 
command  of  Colonel  Benedict  Arnold,  who  they  say  is  "  daringly  and  des- 
perately brave,  sanguinely  hopeful,  of  restless  activity,  and  intelligent  and 
enterprising."  His  object  is  the  conquest  of  Quebec.  This  enterprise 
makes  a  break  in  the  monotonous  life  of  the  soldiers  who  are  panting  for 
active  service,  and  many  have  gladly  offered  themselves  for  the  undertaking, 
calling,  as  it  does  for  great  powers  of  endurance  and  unflinching  courage. 
Young  Aaron  Burr,  who  has  been  languishing  under  the  enforced  idleness, 
and  really  fretted  himself  into  a  fever,  has  jumped  at  this  opening  for  ad- 
venture and  joined  himself  to  the  band,  in  spite  of  the  remonstrances  of  his 
friends,  who  think  him  ill  fitted  for  the  exposure.  He  has  been  appointed 
major. 

General  Richard  Montgomery,  who  distinguished  himself  in  the  French 
war,  and  is  one  of  the  brigadier-generals  appointed  by  Congress,  is  in  com- 
mand in  Canada.  He  is  a  very  valuable  general,  trusty,  prompt,  and  brave, 
and  yet  retiring,  choosing  the  quiet  and  seclusion  of  home  to  the  noise  and 
distractions  of  the  army.  His  wife  is  a  daughter  of  Robert  R.  Livingston 
of  New  York,  whose  father,  the  aged  Robert  Livingston,  died  soon  after  the 
battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  This  venerable  man  had  always  been  a  stanch  pa- 
triot, and  predicted  the  Revolution.  Often  he  would  say  to  his  grandson, 
"  Robert,  you  will  live  to  see  this  country  independent."  The  last  words  of 
this  octogenarian  patriot,  as  he  lay  calmly  awaiting  the  death  angel,  were  : 
"  What  news  from  Boston  ?  " 

Arnold's  expedition  will  join  Montgomery,  and  the  united  forces  do  their 
utmost  to  conquer  the  city  of  Quebec. 

October  \oth.  —  General  Gage  has  sailed  for  England,  and  left  his  com- 
mand with  General  Sir  William  Howe,  who  is  very  popular  with  the  army. 
The  British  are  in  great  distress  by  reason  of  the  scarcity  of  fresh  meat 
and  vegetables.  The  country  people  cannot  sell  them  any  provisions,  and 
their  naval  supplies  are  nearly  cut  off  by  our  armed  vessels  which  defend 
the  coast.  • 

October  \$th.  —  Dr.  Franklin  and  others,  a  "  Committee  of  Conference  " 
from  Congress,  have  come  to  consult  with  General  Washington  about  the 
advisability  of  enlisting  a  new  army,  as  the  terms  of  the  present  one  expire 
in  December.  There  he  goes  now,  the  venerable  statesman,  philosopher, 
and  sage,  walking  with  our  honored  chief,  whose  tall,  commanding  figure 
towers  above  that  of  his  companion.  The  countenances  of  both  beam  with 
benevolence  and  modesty  and  good  sense,  and  show  evidence  of  deep  and 
anxious  thought.  Dr.  Franklin's  gray  eyes  are  spectacled,  and  his  whole 
appearance  speaks  of  wisdom  in  life's  affairs. 

Great  excitement  is  occasioned  by  the  discovery  of  a  secret  correspond- 
ence which  Dr.  Benjamin  Church  has  been  carrying  on  with  the  enemy. 
Dr.  Church  has  had  the  highest  confidence  of  all,  as  a  member  of  our  vigi- 
lance committee,  and  was  specially  recommended  to  General  Washington  on 


38  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dudley. 

his  arrival  in  camp  as  a  trustworthy  and  valuable  man  and  one  deputed  to 
meet  the  Commander-in-chief  and  escort  him  from  Springfield  to  Cam- 
bridge. To  think  of  his  being  at  heart  a  Tory  all  the  time  !  I  have  a  let- 
ter of  his  which  was  intercepted  and  never  reached  its  destination.  No 
date,  but  written  apparently  soon  after  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill. 

"  I  hope  this  will  reach  you.  Three  attempts  have  I  made  without  success 
in  effecting.  The  last  the  man  was  discover'd  in  attempting  his  escape,  but 
fortunately  my  letter  was  sewed  in  the  waist-band  of  his  breeches.  He  was 
confined  a  few  days,  during  which  time  you  may  guess  my  feelings  ;  but  a 
little  art  and  a  little  cash  settled  the  matter.  It  is  a  month  since  my  return 
from  Philadelphia.  I  went  by  way  of  Providence  to  visit  mother.  The 
committee  for  warlike  stores  made  me  a  formal  tender  of  12  pieces  of 
cannon,  1 8  and  24  pounders,  they  having  took  a  previous  resolution  to 
make  the  offer  to  Gen.  Ward.  To  make  a  merit  of  my  service  I  sent 
them  down,  and  when  they  received  them  they  sent  them  to  Stoughton  to 
be  out  of  danger,  even  though  they  had  formed  the  resolution  as  I  before 
hinted  of  fortifying  Bunker's  Hill,  which  with  the  cowardice  of  the  clumsy 
Col.  Gerrish  &  Col.  Seaman  was  the  lucky  occasion  of  their  defeat.  This 
affair  happened  before  my  return  from  Philadelphia.  We  lost  165  killed, 
and  since  dead  of  their  wounds.  120  now  lie  wounded  —  the  chief  will 
recover.  They  boast  you  have  1400  killed  and  wounded  in  that  action. 
You  say  the  Rebels  lost  1500  I  suppose  with  equal  truth.  The  people  of 
Connecticut  are  raving  in  the  cause  of  liberty.  A  number  from  that  col- 
ony, from  the  town  of  Stamford,  robbed  the  King's  stores  at  New  York, 
with  some  small  assistance  the  New  Yorkers  lent  them.  These  were  grow- 
ing very  turbulent.  I  counted  200  cannon  from  24  to  3  pds.  at  King's 
bridge,  which  the  committee  had  secured  for  the  use  of  the  Colonies.  The 
Jersies  are  not  a  whit  behind  them  in  Connecticut  in  zeal.  The  Phila- 
delphians  exceed  them  both.  I  saw  1200  men  in  review  there  by  Genri 
Lee,  consisting  of  Quakers  and  other  inhabitants  in  uniform,  with  1000 
riflemen  and  40  horse,  who  together  made  a  most  warlike  appearance.  I 
mingled  frequently  &  freely  with  the  members  of  the  Continental  Con- 
gress. They  were  united  and  determined  in  opposition  and  appeared 
assured  of  success.  Now  to  come  home,  the  opposition  has  become  for- 
midable. 1800  men,  brave  &  determined,  with  Washington  and  Lee  at  their 
'head,  are  no  contemptible  enemy.  Adjutant  General  Gates  is  indefatigable 
in  arranging  the  army.  Provisions  are  very  plenty,  clothes  are  manufact- 
uring in  almost  every  town  for  the  soldiers,  20  tons  of  powder  lately  arrived 
at  Philadelphia,  Connecticut,  and  Providence,  upwards  of  20  tons  are  now 
in  camp.  Salt  petre  is  made  in  every  colony,  powder  mills  are  erected 
and  constantly  employed  in  New  York  and  Philadelphia.  Volunteers  of 
the  first  fortunes  are  daily  flocking  to  the  camp,  1000  riflemen  in  2  or  3 
days.  Recruits  are  now  levying  to  augment  the  army  to  22000  men.  10,000 


Letter  of  the   Traitor  Church.  39 

militia  are  appointed  in  this  Government  to  appear  on  the  first  summons. 
The  bills  of  all  the  colonies  circulate  freely  and  are  readily  exchanged  for 
cash.  Add  to  this  that  unless  some  plan  of  accommodation  takes  place 
immediately,  their  harbours  will  swarm  with  privateers.  An  army  will 
be  raised  in  the  middle  colonies  to  take  possession  of  Canada.  For  the 
sake  of  the  miserable  convulsed  empire  solicit  peace  —  repeal  the  acts  or 
Britain  is  undone.  This  advice  is  the  result  of^.  warm  affection  to  my 
King  and  to  the  realm.  Remember  I  never  deceived  you.  —  Every  article 
here  sent  you  is  sacredly  true.  —  The  papers  will  announce  to  you  that  I  am 
again  a  member  for  Boston.  You  will  there  see  our  motly  council.  A  gen- 
eral arrangement  of  officers  will  take  place,  except  the  chief  which  will  be 
suspended  but  for  a  little  while  to  see  what  part  Great  Britain  takes  in  con- 
sequence of  the  late  Continental  petition.  A  view  to  Independence  grows 
more  and  more  general.  Should  Britain  declare  war  against  the  Colonies 
they  are  lost  forever.  Should  Spain  declare  war  against  England,  the  colo- 
nies will  declare  a  neutrality  which  will  doubtless  produce  an  offensive  and 
defensive  league  between  them  ;  for  God's  sake  prevent  it  by  a  speedy  ac- 
commodation. 

"  Writing  this  employed  a  day.  I  have  been  to  Salem  to  reconnoitre,  but 
could  not  escape  the  geese  in  the  Capitol.  Tomorrow  I  set  out  for  New- 
port on  purpose  to  send  you  this.  I  write  you  fully,  it  being  scarcely  pos- 
sible to  prevent  discovery.  I  am  out  of  place  here  by  choice,  therefore  out 
of  pay  &  am  determined  to  be  so  unless  something  is  offered  in  my  way. 
I  wish  you  would  contrive  to  write  me  largely  in  cyphers  —  by  way  of  New- 
port, addressed  to  Tom  Richards,  merchant,  enclosed  in  a  cover  to  me,  inti- 
mating that  I  am  a  perfect  stranger  to  you,  but  being  recommended  to  you 
as  a  gentleman  of  Honor  you  took  the  liberty  to  enclose  that  letter,  entreat- 
ing me  to  deliver  it,  as  directed,  the  person,  as  you  are  informed,  living  at 
Cambridge  !  Sign  some  fictitious  name.  — This  you  may  send  to  some  con- 
fidential friend  at  Newport  to  be  delivered  to  me  at  Watertown.  Make  use 
of  every  precaution  or  I  perish.  B.  CHURCH." 

October  ijf/i.  —  The  committee  have  taken  this  matter  of  Dr.  Church's 
treachery  in  hand  but  are  undecided  about  the  best  course  to  pursue.  The 
traitor  is  under  arrest  and  his  papers  seized.  At  present  he  is  imprisoned 
in  Widow  VassalPs  house,  which  has  been  his  residence  since  his  appoint- 
ment as  director-general  of  the  hospital.1  I  caught  a  glimpse  of  his  face 
at  the  second  story  window  to-day  as  I  passed.  I  wonder  how  he  can  look 
out  upon  the  exquisite  beauty  of  the  landscape,  bustling  with  military  life, 
all  quivering  with  intense  patriotism  as  it  is,  and  not  feel  a  conscience 
twinge  at  his  own  despicable  conduct. 

October  -2.\th.  —  Dr.  Jeremy  Belknap  of  Boston  is  in  town,  and  preached 
for  us  last  Sunday.  His  sermon  was  earnest  and  full  of  patriotism,  and  his 

1  This  confirms  the  statement  in  the  account  of  the  Batchelder  House  on  p.  101.  —  ED. 


4O  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dudley. 

prayers  as  well.  He  prayed  for  the  King,  I  noticed,  though  it  is  becoming 
common  to  omit  that  petition,  for  the  thought  of  separation  from  England 
grows  more  popular  every  day.  The  delegates  from  Congress  have  many 
matters  to  discuss  with  the  Commander-in-chief  —  one  is  the  expediency  of 
making  an  attack  upon  Boston.  Several  of  the  committee  wish  to  see  Bos- 
ton burned  to  the  ground,  but  General  Lee  says  it  will  be  impossible  to 
burn  it  unless  men  laden. with  bundles  of  straw  enter  the  town  and  proceed 
to  set  fires  in  all  corners.  He  thinks  that  a  bombardment  would  not  have  the 
desired  effect.  It  is  decided  to  form  a  new  army  with  longer  enlistments 
than  those  of  the  present  one,  and  the  work  will  begin  immediately.  The 
Committee  of  Conference  held  its  session  at  the  head-quarters  of  General 
Washington,  and  General  Greene,  who  was  present  the  first  evening  of  their 
arrival,  says,  in  allusion  to  that  great  man,  Dr.  Franklin,  whom  he  viewed 
with  silent  admiration  during  the  whole  evening  :  "  Attention  watched  his 
lips  and  conviction  closed  his  periods." 

November  jth.  —  Dr.  Church  has  had  his  trial  at  last.  Who  could  but 
pity  him  while  they  condemned,  as  with  military  escort  and  the  music  of  fife 
and  drum,  he  was  taken  from  his  improvised  prison  and  carried  to  the 
Watertown  meeting-house,  there  to  be  expelled  from  his  seat  in  Congress  and 
publicly  branded  as  a  traitor  ?  The  General  Court  resolved  that  he  be  sent 
to  Norwich,  Connecticut,  and  confined  in  jail,  "without  the  use  of  pen,  ink, 
or  paper,  and  that  no  person  be  allowed  to  converse  with  him,  except  in  the 
the  presence  and  hearing  of  a  magistrate  of  the  town  or  the  sheriff  of  the 
county  where  he  is  confined,  and  in  the  English  language."  What  with  the 
disgrace  and  the  discomforts  of  his  prison  life,  I  wonder  if  he  does  not  be- 
lieve in  his  inmost  heart  that  the  way  of  transgressors  is  hard  ! 

November  \zth.  —  Recruiting  orders  are  given  out  and  it  is  hoped  that  an 
army  will  be  raised  rapidly.  Another  element  is  added  to  the  noise  of  camp 
life  —  the  sound  of  carpenters'  tools,  the  hammering  and  sawing  and  planing 
preparatory  to  building  winter  barracks  for  the  accommodation  of  the  sol- 
diers. There  was  a  skirmish  a  few  days  ago  at  Lechmere's  Point,  which  is 
an  island  when  the  water  is  at  high  tide.  The  cattle  which  graze  upon  the 
salt  marshes  there  were  a  prize  the  Redcoats  coveted,  half-starved  as  they 
are,  and  one  worth  the  risk  of  a  fight  to  procure.  So  about  four  hundred 
men  in  a  number  of  boats  left  Boston  and  landed  at  the  Point,  killed  one 
sentinel  and  took  the  other  prisoner,  and  succeeded  in  carrying  off  ten  cows. 
The  alarm  was  given  and  cannon  from  Prospect  Hill  were  fired  upon  them, 
sinking  one  of  their  boats  and  killing  two  men.  A  regiment  of  riflemen 
under  Colonel  Thompson  marched  immediately,  and  to  reach  the  Point  were 
obliged  to  ford  the  river,  which  was  up  to  their  necks,  and  fired  upon  the 
marauders,  who  made  theif  escape  as  fast  as  possible.  Two  of  our  men 
were  dangerously  wounded.  Colonel  Thompson  behaved  with  much  hero- 
ism, and  was  publicly  thanked  by  the  Commander-in-chief  for  the  part  played 
by  himself  and  his  brave  men.  Major  Mifflin  was  there,  and  I  have  heard 


Works  on  Cobble  Hill.  41 

"  flew  about  as  if  he  would  raise  the  whole  army."     General  Washington 
looks  upon  this  affair  as  the  beginning  of  a  general  attack  upon  our  works. 

November  i^th. —  The  new  army  is  to  be  in  uniform,  and  the  following 
order  has  gone  forth  :  "  October  28th.  It  is  recommended  to  the  non- 
commissioned officers  and  soldiers,  whose  pay  will  be  drawn  in  consequence 
of  last  Thursday's  orders  (especially  to  those  whose  attachment  to  the  glo- 
rious cause  in  which  they  are  engaged,  and  which  will  induce  them  to  con- 
tinue in  the  service  another  year),  to  lay  out  their  money  in  shirts,  shoes, 
stockings,  and  a  good  pair  of  leather  breeches,  and  not  in  coats  and  waist- 
coats, as  it  is  intended  that  the  new  army  shall  be  clothed  in  uniform.  To 
effect  which,  the  Congress  will  lay  in  goods  upon  the  best  terms  they  can  be 
bought  anywhere  for  ready  money,  and  will  sell  them  to  the  soldiers  with- 
out any  profit ;  by  which  means,  a  uniform  coat  and  waistcoat  will  come 


CANNON  USED  BEFORE  BOSTON. 

cheaper  to  them  than  any  other  clothing  of  the  like  kind  can  be  bought.  A 
number  of  tailors  will  be  immediately  set  to  work  to  make  regimentals  for 
those  brave  men  who  are  willing  at  all  hazards  to  defend  their  invaluable 
rights  and  privileges." 

November  28///.  —  Works  have  gone  up  on  Cobble  Hill,1  under  the  direc- 
tion of  General  Putnam,  and  General  Heath  without  any  annoyance  from  the 
Redcoats.  I  see  by  the  papers  that  this  redoubt  is  called  "  the  most  perfect 
piece  of  fortification  that  the  American  army  has  constructed  during  the 
present  campaign,  and  on  the  day  of  its  completion  was  named  Putnam's 
impregnable  fortress."  Washington  thinks  that  this  inactivity  on  the  part  of 
General  Howe  is  not  without  a  meaning,  that  he  is  planning  some  grand  at- 
tack upon  our 'lines,  and  accordingly  batteries  are  going  up  in  various  places 
to. command  the  important  points. 

November  y>th.  —  Our  vessels  at  sea  have  been  carrying  on  war  with 
British  ships,  and  one  of  ours,  the  Washington,  has  been  captured  by  the 
Fo-wey,  man-of-war.  But  success  has  attended  our  navy  more  than  once,  and 
to-day  has  come  news  of  a  grand  capture — that  of  the  British  ordnance 

1  Now  the  site  of  the  McLean  Asylum,  Somerville.  —  ED. 


42  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dtidley. 

brig  Nancy,  by  Captain  Manly,  commander  of  the  Lee.  She  is  indeed  a 
prize,  containing  a  complete  assortment  of  military  stores  —  2,000  mus- 
kets, 100,000  flints,  30,000  round  shot,  for  one,  six,  and  twelve-pounders  ; 
over  thirty  tons  of  musket  shot,  eleven  mortar  beds,  and  a  thirteen-inch 
brass  mortar  weighing  2,700  pounds.  So  great  a  loss  as  this  the  Com- 
mander-in-chief thinks  will  not  be  lightly  allowed  to  come  to  the  British 
arms,  and  fearing  an  effort  will  be  made  to  recover  the  ship,  has  immedi- 
ately ordered  four  companies  to  Cape  Ann  to  protect  the  stores,  while  all 
possible  haste  is  used  to  remove  them  to  a  place  of  safety.  One  of  the 
officers  says  that  when  news  of  the  capture  came  to  the  soldiers,  "  such 
universal  joy  ran  through  the  whole  camp  as  if  each  grasped  victory  in 
his  hand ;  to  crown  the  glorious  scene,  there  intervened  one  truly  ludicrous, 
which  was  Old  Put,  mounted  on  a  large  mortar  which  was  fixed  in  its  bed 
for  the  occasion,  standing  parson  to  christen,  while  god-father  Mifflin  gave 
it  the  name  of  Congress.  The  huzzas  on  the  occasion,  I  dare  say,  were 
heard  through  all  the  territories  of  our  most  gracious  sovereign  in  this 
Province." 

December  \st.  —  Winter  is  fairly  upon  us.  Snow  several  inches  deep. 
Mrs.  John  Adams  is  in  town.  I  met  her  at  Mrs.  Mifflin's  last  evening.  Mrs. 
Adams  is  a  charming  woman,  combining  ease  and  grace  of  manner,  and 
sweetness  of  temper,  with  great  strength  and  decision  of  character.  I  have 
the  warmest  admiration  for  her.  Had  a  delightful  evening.  Major  Mifflin 
is  very  agreeable,  and  his  lady  accomplished  and  winning.  The  host 
bustled  about  on  hospitable  thoughts  intent,  making  every  one  at  his  ease. 
It  seems  he  was  once  a  Quaker,  but  was  expelled  from  that  peaceable  sect 
when  he  asserted  his  determination  to  arm  himself  in  his  country's  service. 
He  is  an  admirable  soldier,  they  say,  though  so  small  in  stature,  and  has 
wonderful  influence  over  his  subordinates.  General  Lee  was  there.  He 
made  a  good  deal  of  sport  for  the  ladies  by  telling  stories  of  Hobgoblin 
Hall,  as  he  delights  to  call  his  quarters  at  Mr.  Isaac  Royall's  house  in  Med- 
ford,  which  is  truly  a  magnificent  mansion.1  Colonel  Royall  has  run  away, 
having  been  terribly  frightened  at  the  prospect  of  war,  and  having  no  de- 
cided principles,  either  rebel  or  loyal  ;  and  is  in  danger  of  the  one  thing  he 
dreaded  most  of  all  —  confiscation.  The  house,  built  by  his  father  in  most 
substantial  style,  is  surrounded  by  fruit  trees  of  many  varieties,  and  a  pro- 
fusion of  shrubbery,  and  is  shut  in  from  the  road  by  a  brick  wall.  General 
Lee's  imagination  called  up  shadowy  shapes  to  answer  to  his  tread  through 
its  halls  and  corridors  ;  hence  the  name.  The  General  is  a  most  singular 
man,  very  unprepossessing  in  appearance,  tall  and  thin,  with  large  features, 
eyes  that  are  never  at  rest,  and  a  certain  air  of  carelessness,  as  if  he  gave 
not  a  thought  to  his  dress  or  manner  of  life.  He  has  a  great  fondness  for 
dogs,  and  is  rarely  seen  without  one  or  more.  Last  night,  "  Mr.  Spada," 
a  large,  shaggy,  bearish-looking  animal,  was  with  him,  and  was  the  source  of 

1  This  house  is  still  extant  in  Medford.  —  ED. 


General  Lees  Appearance.  43 

some  annoyance  as  well  as  amusement  to  the  guests.  He  insisted  upon  the 
dog's  presenting  his  paw  to  Mrs.  Adams,  who,  as  a  stranger,  was  entitled  to 
every  mark  of  attention.  "  Love  me,  love  my  dog,"  this  whimsical  man 
might  well  say  to  his  friends.  He  has  lived  among  the  Indians  long  enough 
to  acquire  their  confidence,  and  be  honored  by  appointment  as  chief,  and  in 
their  expressive  way  they  called  him  from  his  passionate  nature,  "  Boiling 
Water."  He  has  travelled  through  Europe,  and  has  lost  two  fingers  in  a 
personal  encounter  in  Italy.  His  courage  is  undoubted,  and  his  military 
abilities  highly  estimated  by  the  Commander-in-chief  and  his  fellow  generals. 
He  speaks  and  writes  several  languages,  fluently,  and  Mrs.  Adams  says 
with  truth,  "the  elegance  of  his  pen  far  exceeds  that  of  his  person."  Dr. 
Morgan,  successor  to  the  traitor  Church  as  director-general  of  the  hospital, 
lives  with  Major  Mifflin  in  this  fine  old  mansion,  which  surpasses  all  others 
in  Cambridge  in  the  beauty  of  its  grounds.  Brattle's  Mall  is  a  place  of 
wonderful  attraction,  moonlight  evenings  in  summer.  The  graceful  play  of 
the  shadows  upon  the  velvety  lawns  and  well-kept  paths,  the  murmuring 
hum  of  the  river,  the  glad  rush  of  the  ice-cold  water  as  it  bursts  from  its 
prison  in  the  marble  grotto  —  all  these  are  so  many  magnets,  each  drawing 
to  the  Brattle  grounds  a  goodly  number  of  pleasure-seekers.  Now,  the 
promenade  is  wrapt  in  a  soft  white  dress,  which  clothes  all  nature  — and  daz- 
zling in  its  purity,  hides  beneath  its  veil  of  charity  all  the  blemishes  of  our 
mother  earth. 

December  gtk.  —  There  has  been  trouble  in  camp,  and  some  crimes  perpe- 
trated of  so  flagrant  a  nature  as  to  call  for  severe  punishment.  Several  of 
the  criminals  have  been  sent  to  the  famous  Newgate  prison,  in  Simsbury, 
Connecticut,  once  worked  as  copper  mines  and  now  given  up  for  the  con- 
finement of  the  most  atrocious  villains.  I  have  a  copy  of  the  letter  Wash- 
ington sent  with  the  prisoners  to  the  Committee  of  Safety  at  Simsbury:  — 

"  CAMBRIDGE,  Dec.  ^th,  1775. 

"  GENTLEMEN  :  The  prisoners  which  will  be  delivered  you  with  this,  hav- 
ing been  tried  by  a  court  martial,  and  deemed  to  be  such  flagrant  and  atro- 
cious villains,  that  they  cannot  by  any  means  be  set  at  large,  or  confined  in 
any  place  near  this  camp,  were  sentenced  to  Simsbury,  in  Connecticut.  You 
will  therefore  be  pleased  to  have  them  secured  in  your  jail,  or  in  such  other 
manner  as  to  you  shall  seem  necessary,  so  that  they  cannot  possibly  make 
their  escape.  The  charges  of  their  imprisonment  will  be  at  the  Continental 
expense.  I  am.  &c. 

"  GEORGE  WASHINGTON." 

I  saw  the  prisoners,  as  under  a  strong  guard  they  left  the  court-house 
after  their  condemnation  to  that  horrible  place.  The  reports  of  that  under- 
ground dungeon  are  enough  to  make  one  shudder.  Chained  to  the  damp 
ground,  far  below  the  upper  world,  out  of  reach  of  the  sun's  rays  or  a  breath 


44  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dudley. 

of  pure  air,  how  can  it  be  possible  for  life  to  go  on  ?  Surely^mly  the  most 
hardened  wretches  are  entitled  to  such  a  fate  ! 

December  \\th.  —  Mrs.  Washington,  our  general's  lady,  has  arrived,  and 
with  her  many  ladies  of  the  families  of  our  officers.  She  has  had  a  long, 
tedious  journey  from  Mount  Vernon,  with  bad  roads  and  trying  weather,  and 
has  come  by  short  stages,  stopping  often  to  rest  and  change  horses.  She 
has  gone  directly  to  her  husband's  head-quarters.  Mr.  Curtis,  her  son, 
accompanied  her,  with  his  wife. 

December  \2th.  —  Our  army  is  in  great  distress  for  want  of  firewood  and 
hay,  and  a  call  from  the  Assembly  has  gone  forth  to  all  the  towns  within 
twenty  miles  of  Boston,  to  supply  these  articles,  each  according  to  its  ability. 
The  work  on  the  barracks  is  completed,  and  the  soldiers  are  occupying  them. 
As  far  as  possible,  they  are  made  comfortable  and  easy.  Christ  Church  is 
vacated.  Our  army  daily  looks  for  an  attack  from  the  Redcoats,  and  Wash- 
ington says  he  is  "  unable,  upon  any  principle  whatever,  to  account  for  their 
silence,  unless  it  be  to  lull  us  into  a  fatal  security."  But  instead,  it  has  only 
increased  our  vigilance,  and  every  possible  avenue  by  which  they  might  ap- 
proach our  lines  is  guarded.  Captain  Manly,  the  brave  commander  of  the 
Lee,  has  drawn  to  himself  well-earned  praise  by  his  skilful  manoeuvres  in 
the  seas.  Several  vessels  with  British  cargoes  have  surrendered  to  his 
arms.  An  officer  writes  that  one  contained  a  vast  number  of  letters,  and 
"  what  is  really  extraordinary,  not  one  that  does  not  breathe  enmity,  death, 
and  destruction  to  this  fair  land." 

December  \$th.  —  I  have  to-day  taken  a  sad  stroll  with  dear  old  Mr.  Wads- 
worth  1  about  the  college  grounds.  I  say  it  was  "sad,"  because  so  it 
seemed,  to  see  the  buildings  dedicated  to  education  used  as  barracks,  and 
the  once  white  snow  on  the  ground  about  them  covered  with  the  unsightly 
rubbish  that  always  abounds  where  many  soldiers  remain  long.  My  dear 
old  friend  mourned  too  as  we  walked  from  one  building  to  another,  and 
talked  constantly  about  old  times  at  Harvard,  and  of  the  traditions  he  received 
years  ago  from  Mrs.  Wadsworth's  father,  Mr.  Walter  Mildmay.  Though 
the  college  is  so  old  —  it  is  a  hundred  and  thirty-nine  years  old  —  the  mem- 
ory of  these  two  men  goes  back  to  its  beginning.  Walter  Mildmay  knew 
and  often  talked  with  the  Rev.  Benjamin  Woodbridge,  whom  Cotton  Mather 
called  "  a  star  of  the  first  magnitude,"  and  the  leader  of  the  whole  company 
of  the  graduates  of  the  college.  He  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1642, 
with  that  George  Downing  who  went  to  England,  became  a  confidential 
member  of  the  staff  of  Oliver  Cromwell,  and  as  his  minister  to  Holland 
rendered  such  valuable  aid  to  the  cause  of  the  Commonwealth.  Downing 
was  described  by  the  poet  Milton  as  "a  person  of  eminent  Quality."  This 
walk  has  so  much  excited  my  aged  friend  that  he  can  scarcely  talk  of  any- 
thing but  the  colleges  and  their  history.  It  is  all  my  gain,  for  I  have  learned 

1  This  "Mr.  Wadsworth"  cannot  be  identified.  He  was  evidently  not  a  graduate  of  Harvard,  for 
none  of  the  three  bearing  the  name  were  living  in  1775.  —  ED. 


Historical  Sketch  of  Harvard  College.  45 

many  things  that  I  never  knew  before.  Some  of  these  I  shall  now  write 
down,  lest  I  forget  them.  It  seems  that  on  the  28th  of  October,  1636,  "the 
General  Court  of  Massachusetts  Bay  in  New  England  "  voted  to  appropri- 
ate .£400  to  establish  a  "  schoole  or  colledge,"  which  was  the  beginning  of 
Harvard.1  It  did  not  have  a  local  habitation,  however,  until  after  November 
of  the  following  year,  at  which  time  Mr.  Dudley  (I  believe  he  was  one  of 
my  ancestors),  Mr.  Winthrop,  Mr.  Cotton,  Mr.  Shepard,  and  others,  took 
"  order  for  a  colledge  at  Newetowne,"  as  the  old  records  say.  In  May,  1638,2 
the  name  of  the  town  was  changed  to  Cambridge,  and  in  the  following 
March  the  present  name  was  given  to  the  college,  in  honor  of  the  Rev.  John 
Harvard,  a  godly  gentleman  and  lover  of  learning,  who  had  been  stirred  up 
to  give  one  half  of  his  estate  and  all  of  his  library  to  it.  At  first  it  was  little 
less  than  a  boarding-school,  and  was  conducted  by  one  Nathaniel  Eaton,  a 
person  of  most  disreputable  memory.  In  September,  1639,  Eaton  was  dis- 
charged, and  fined  by  the  General  Court  for  "  cruell  &  barbaros  beating  of 
Mr.  Natha:  Briscoe,  &  for  other  neglecting  &  misvseing  of  his  schollers." 
Eaton  fled  to  "  Pascataquack,"  and  afterwards  to  Virginia,  with  a  thousand 
pounds  of  his  creditors'  money.  Mr.  Wadsworth  could  not  conceal  his 
righteous  indignation  as  he  spoke  of  this  man.  Indeed,  Eaton  must  have 
been  very  brutal,  for  he  beat  his  poor  pupils  with  little  mercy,  and  had  a  rule 
that  he  would  not  give  over  correcting  until  he  had  subdued  the  party  to  his 
will.  Governor  Winthrop  tells  us  that  on  one  of  these  occasions  the  master 
used  "  a  cudgel  which  was  a  walnut-tree  plant  big  enough  to  have  killed  a 
horse,  and  a  yard  in  length."  But  this  was  not  all  ;  for,  though  the  pupils 
paid  him  well  for  their  "diet,"  it  was  ordinarily  nothing  but  porridge  and 
pudding,  and  that  very  homely.  They  complained  also  that  Mrs.  Eaton  de- 
nied them  butter  and  cheese  and  beer  "  betwixt  meals,"  that  she  forced  them 
to  make  their  own  beds  at  times,  and  that  she  offended  "  Sam  Hough,"  who 
was,  I  presume,  one  of  the  "schollers,"  by  letting  a  certain  Moor  lie  in  his 
"  sheet  and  pillow  bier."  3  I  am  sure  the  "  schollers  "  had  hard  times  when 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eaton  taught  and  dieted  them  ! 

Towards  the  latter  end  of  summer  in  the  next  year  the  learned,  reverend, 
and  judicious  Mr.  Henry  Dunster  came  over,  and  was  pointed  out  by  the 
Lord,  "with  his  unerring  finger,"  as  the  one  to  take  the  direction  of  the 
young  institution,  now  pretty  firmly  established  with  funds,  as  well  as  in  the 
faith  "of  the  people.  More  money  was  soon  sent  from  across  the  sea,  for  the 
enterprise  was  considered  past  the  reach  of  a  poor  pilgrim  people.  Over 
the  college  there  were  twelve  overseers,  six  being  magistrates  and  six  minis- 
ters ;  and  the  students  had  the  advantage  of  being  "  under  the  orthodox  and 

1  The  Editor  fails  to  find  evidence  that  this  money  was  ever  actually  paid. 

2  It  was  May  2d.  —  ED. 

3  The  curious  reader  will  learn  much  more  on  this  subject  if  he  consult  the  doings  of  the  General 
Court,  quoted  by  Mr.  Sibley  in   his  Biographical  Sketches  of  Graduates  of  Harvard  University, 
vol.  i.  pp.  2-6.  —  ED. 


46  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dudley. 

soul-flourishing  ministry  of  Mr.  Thomas  Shepard,"  1  a  fact  that  is  said  to 
have  had  great  influence  in  deciding  the  place  at  which  the  college  was 
established.  In  1641,  a  class  of  nine  bachelors,  who  had  probably2  been 
under  instruction  for  some  time  previous  to  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Dunster,  was 
graduated.  People  rejoiced  greatly  at  the  progress  of  these  young  men  in 
learning  and  godliness.  Some  of  the  rules  of  the  college  provided  that  no 
one  should  be  admitted  that  could  not  understand  Tully,  or  such  like  classi- 
cal author  ex  tempore,  and  make  and  speak  true  Latin  in  verse  and  prose. 
They  were  to  understand  that  the  main  end  of  this  life  is  "  to  know  God 
and  Jesus  Christ ;  and  therefore  to  lay  Christ  in  the  bottom,  as  the  only 
foundation  of  all  sound  knowledge  and  learning."  "And  seeing  the  Lord 
only  giveth  wisdom,  let  every  one  seriously  set  himself  by  prayer  in  secret 
to  seek  it  of  Him.'  "  Further,  they  were  to  exercise  themselves  in  reading 
the  Scriptures  twice  a  day.  They  could  not  "  go  abroad  to  other  towns  " 
without  permission  ;  and  were  directed  to  eschew  all  profanity  of  God's 
Name,  Attributes,  Word,  Ordinances,  and  Times  of  Worship.  These  rules 
were  not  ignored  ;  and  it  is  said  that  on  the  first  Commencement  Day  "  two 
young  men  of  good  quality,  lately  come  out  qf  England,"  were  complained 
of  "  for  foul  misbehaviour,  in  swearing  and  ribaldry  speeches,"  were  cor- 
rected in  the  college,  and  sequestered  for  a  time.  For  the  most  part,  how- 
ever, the  young  men  came  with  a  purpose,  and  worked  with  a  will.  They 
suffered  privations,  and  their  parents  did  also.  Money  was  scarce  in  the 
Colony  then,  and  the  steward's  bills  were  paid  with  beef,  veal,  pork,  mutton, 
poultry,  grain,  malt,  eggs,  butter,  cheese,  apples,  cider,  fuel,  candles,  cloth, 
leather,  shoes,  and  sometimes  with  tobacco,  and  even  the  products  of  the 
still.  President  Dunster  labored  against  financial  odds  for  fourteen  years, 
and  was  at  last  compelled  to  resign  on  account  of  certain  views  on  baptism 
that  were  considered  by  some  to  have,  originated  with  the  Evil  One.  Mr. 
Wadsworth  says  he  was  never  able  to  see  exactly  why  a  college  president 
should  have  been  compelled  to  resign  for  such  reasons.  The  Rev.  Charles 
Chauncy  was  next  president ;  and  during  his  term  of  office  the  financial 
difficulties  increased  so  greatly  that  the  General  Court  was  appealed  to  for 
aid  for  what  was  called  then  "  the  sinking  college."  Public  grants  and  pri- 
vate munificence,  however,  did  not  fail,  and  the  work  went  on.  Mr.  Leonard 
Hoar,  of  the  class  of  1650,  became  president  in  1672,  and  the  same  year  the 
library  was  largely  increased  by  a  bequest  of  Theophilus  Gale.  President 
Hoar  was  a  sagacious  man,  and  very  creditable  every  way  to  his  Alma 
Mater*  In  1685,  the  Rev.  Increase  Mather  of  Boston,  of  the  class  of  1656, 
became  president,  and  held  the  office  sixteen  years.  Old  Mr.  Wadsworth 

1  From  this  learned  divine  the  name  of  the  Shepard  Memorial  Church  is  derived.  —  ED. 
2  "  And  who  was  on  the  Catalogue 

When  college  was  begun  ? 
Two  nephews  of  the  president, 

And  the  professor's  son."  —  Dr.  Holmes. 
3  See,  on  this  point,  The  Harvard  Book,  vol.  i.  pp.  33,  34.  —  ED. 


Historical  Sketch  of  Harvard  College.  47 

tells  me  of  a  curious  visit  made  to  the  college  in  July,  1680,  by  two  Dutch- 
men from  Friesland.  They  were  Jasper  Dankers  and  Peter  Sluyter,  who 
were  making  a  tour  in  several  American  colonies,  and  made  the  following 
records  in  their  diary  :  *  — 

"g//;,  Tuesday.  —  We  started  out  to  go  to  Cambridge,  lying  to  the  N.  E. 
of  Boston,  in  order  to  see  their  college  and  printing-office.  We  left  abt. 
six  o'k  in  the  morning,  and  were  set  across  the  river  at  Charlestown.  .  .  . 
We  reached  Cambridge  abt.  8  o'k.  It  is  not  a  large  village,  and  the  houses 
stand  very  much  apart.  The  college  building  is  the  most  conspicuous 
among  them.  We  went  to  it  expecting  to  see  something  curious,  as  it  is  the 
only  college  or  would-be  academy  of  the  Protestants  in  all  America ;  but 
we  found  ourselves  mistaken.  In  approaching  the  house,  we  neither  heard 
nor  saw  anything  mentionable  ;  but  going  to  the  other  side  of  the  building 
we  heard  noise  enough  in  an  upper  room  to  lead  my  comrade  to  suppose  they 
were  engaged  in  disputation.  We  entered  and  went  upstairs,  where  a  per- 
son met  us  and  requested  us  to  walk  in,  which  we  did.  We  found  there 
eight  or  ten  young  fellows  sitting  around  smoking  tobacco,  with  the  smoke 
of  which  the  room  was  so  full  that  you  could  hardly  see  ;  and  the  whole 
house  smelt  so  strong  of  it,  that  when  I  was  going  upstairs  I  said,  '  This 
is  certainly  a  tavern.'  2  We  excused  ourselves  that  we  could  speak  Eng- 
lish only  a  little,  but  understood  Dutch  or  French,  which  they  did  not. 
However,  we  spake  as  well  as  we  could.  We  inquired  how  many  professors 
there  were,  and  they  replied  not  one,  that  there  was  no  money  to  support 
one.  We  asked  how  many  students  there  were.  They  said  at  first  thirty, 
and  then  came  down  to  twenty.  I  afterwards  understood  there  are  prob- 
ably not  ten.  They  could  hardly  speak  a  word  of  Latin,  so  that  my  comrade 
could  not  converse  with  them.  They  took  us  to  the  library,  where  there 
was  nothing  particular.  We  looked  over  it  a  little.  They  presented  us 
with  a  glass  of  wine.  This  is  all  we  ascertained  there.  The  minister  of 
the  place  goes  there  morning  and  evening  to  make  prayer,  and  has  charge 
over  them.  The  students  have  tutors  or  masters.  Our  visit  was  soon 
over." 

This  account  shows  that  the  rules  about  the  use  of  tobacco  and  the  study 
of  Latin  were  not  always  observed,  and  also  that  the  students  in  those  days 
were  not  above  having  a  little  fun  at  the  expense  of  innocent  strangers. 
Increase  Mather  was  an  absentee  from  Cambridge,  with  the  exception  of 
three  months  and  a  week,  and  appears  to  have  considered  his  collegiate 
duties  of  much  less  importance  than  those  he  was  called  to  render  the  state, 
and  the  people  of  the  North  Street  Church,  Boston.  Meanwhile,  the  stu- 

2  This  record  is  to  be  found  also  in  the  Memoirs  of  the  Long  Island  Historical  Society,  vol.  i.  — 
ED. 

-  "  Dear  haunts  of  lost  or  scattered  friends, 
Old  Harvard's  scholar-factories  red, 
Where  song  and  smoke  and  laughter  sped 
The  nights  to  proctor-haunted  ends."  —  Lowell. 


48  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dudley. 

dents  were  well  instructed  by  tutors  Brattle  and  Leverett  of  the  class  of 
1680.  It  was  during  the  presidency  of  Mather,  in  1700,  that  the  book  of 
Robert  Calef,  on  the  "  Wonders  of  the  Invisible  World,"  was  burned  in  the 
college  yard.  The  next  year  Samuel  Willard  was  appointed  acting  presi- 
dent. He  was  followed  by  John  Leverett,  Benjamin  Wadsworth,  Edward 
Holyoke,  Samuel  Locke,  and,  a  year  ago  last  October,  by  the  Reverend 
Samuel  Langdon,  our  present  earnest,  learned,  and  patriotic  president. 
May  he  long  hold  the  office  !  Massachusetts  Hall  was  built  in  1720,  when 
Mr.  Leverett  was  president.  In  1725,  the  college  faculty  was  organized.  It 
seems  that  discipline  had  grown  loose,  for,  two  years  before,  there  were 
reports  that  the  students  were  some  of  them  guilty  of  "stealing,  lying, 
swearing,  idleness,  picking  of  locks,  and  too  frequent  use  of*  strong  drink." 
These  practices  were  found  difficult  to  be  entirely  abolished. 

In  January,  1764,  —  it  seems  as  if  the  terrible  event  were  but  yesterday,  — 
the  college  met  with  its  great  loss  in  the  burning  of  Harvard  Hall,  in  which 
the  General  Court  was  sitting.  The  members  were  very  active  in  their 
efforts  to  save  the  building ;  but  it  went,  and  with  it  the  library  of  some  six 
thousand  volumes,  the  gift  of  Mr.  John  Harvard,  Dr.  Lightfoot,  Bishop 
Berkeley,  and  others;  the  portraits  and  curiosities,  the  apparatus  given  by 
Mr.  Hollis,  and  many  other  articles  that  can  never  be  restored.  This  dis- 
aster was  the  occasion  of  a  great  display  of  good  feeling,  and  many  gifts  of 
books,  apparatus,  and  furniture  were  promptly  made  to  the  college  by  friends 
in  America  and  England.  Soon,  however,  the  relations  between  the  Colony 
and  the  mother  country  changed  ;  and,  as  a  token  of  their  feelings,  the 
senior  class  voted  to  take  their  degrees  in  homespun  clothes.  Their  patri- 
otism was  loudly  applauded ;  and  they  seem  to  have  been  led  by  this  fact, 
and  by  the  atmosphere  of  rebellion  about  them,  to  disobey  a  rule  of  the 
Faculty  that  was  of  small  importance.  I  forget  what  Mr.  Wadsworth  says 
it  was.1 

In  1769,  the  General  Court  met  in  the  college  chapel,  and  before  proceed- 
ing to  business  listened  to  an  impassioned  address  from  Mr.  James  Otis,  of 
the  class  of  1743.  In  1770,  the  General  Court  met  again  in  Cambridge,— 
but  I  must  stop.  My  interest  in  the  whole  subject  of  the  relations  of  the 
college  to  our  present  terrible  struggle  has  carried  me  on  and  on,  until  I 
am  surprised  at  the  number  of  pages  I  have  devoted  to  it.  I  hope  the 
record  may  prove  of  value  to  me  at  some  future  time,  when  the  matter  is 
less  fresh  in  my  memory. 

December  \%th.  —  Mrs.  Washington  was  at  church  yesterday  with  the  Gen- 
eral. She  is  a  fine-looking  lady,  with  regular  features,  dark  chestnut  hair 
and  hazel  eyes,  and  a  certain  gravity  in  her  carriage  which  becomes  her  po- 
sition. She  was  a  widow  when  General  Washington  married  her,  rich  and 
attractive,  and  he  was  taken  captive  at  first  sight.  They  say  General  and 

1  The  rule  had  reference  to  excuses  for  absence  from  the  college  exercises.  See  The  Harvard 
Soak,  vol.  i.  p.  42. —  ED. 


Christ  Church  opened  for  Service.  49 

Mrs.  Gates  came  with  them,  and  occupied  a  pew  near.  Dr.  Appleton 
prayed  most  earnestly  for  our  country  and  its  defenders,  alluding  pointedly 
and  affectionately  to  the  chief  officer  of  the  army.  For  some  time  it  has 
not  been  customary  to  pray  for  the  King.  Independence  is  much  thought 
and  talked  of,  and  any  sign  of  allegiance  to  the  mother  country  is  very  offen- 
sive. Mrs.  Washington  has  expressed  a  wish  that  Christ  Church  may  be 
put  in  readiness  for  services,  and  orders  have  gone  forth  to  that  effect. 

January  i,  1776.  —  Yesterday  service  was  held  in  Christ  Church.  I  was 
invited  to  be  present.  Colonel  William  Palfrey,  at  request  of  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington, read  the  service  and  made  a  prayer  of  a  form  different  from  that  com- 
monly used  for  the  King.  "  O  Lord,  our  Heavenly  Father,  high  and  mighty, 
King  of  Kings  and  Lord  of  Lords,  who  hast  made  of  one  blood  all  the  na- 
tions upon  earth,  and  whose  common  bounty  is  liberally  bestowed  upon  thy 
unworthy  creatures  ;  most  heartily  we  beseech  Thee  to  look  down  with 
mercy  upon  his  Majesty,  George  the  Third.  Open  his  eyes  and  enlighten 
his  understanding,  that  he  may  pursue  the  true  interest  of  the  people  over 
whom  Thou  in  Thy  Providence  hast  placed  him.  Remove  far  from  him  all 
wicked,  corrupt  men,  and  evil  counsellors,  that  his  throne  may  be  estab- 
lished in  justice  and  righteousness  ;  and  so  replenish  him  with  the  grace  of 
thy  Holy  Spirit,  that  he  may  incline  to  Thy  will  and  walk  in  Thy  way.  Have 
pity,  O  most  merciful  Father,  upon  the  distresses  of  the  inhabitants  of  this 
Western  world.  To  that  end  we  humbly  pray  Thee  to  bless  the  Continental 
Congress.  Preside  over  their  councils,  and  may  they  be  led  to  such  meas- 
ures as  may  tend  to  Thy  glory,  to  the  advancement  of  true  religion,  and  to 
the  happiness  and  prosperity  of  Thy  people.  We  also  pray  Thee  to  bless  our 
provincial  assemblies,  magistrates,  and  all  in  subordinate  places  of  power 
and  trust.  Be  with  Thy  servant,  the  Commander-in-chief  of  the  American 
forces.  Afford  him  Thy  presence  in  all  his  undertakings  ;  strengthen  him 
that  he  may  vanquish  and  overcome  all  his  enemies  ;  and  grant  that  we 
may  in  clue  time  be  restored  to  the  enjoyment  of  those  inestimable  bless- 
ings we  have  been  deprived  of  by  the  devices  of  cruel  and  bloodthirsty  men, 
for  the  sake  of  Thy  Son,  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.  Amen." 

General  and  Mrs.  Washington,  Mrs.  Gates,  Mrs.  Morgan,  Mrs.  Mifflin, 
Mrs.  Curtis,  and  many  others,  including  officers,  were  present.  The  General 
is  loyal  to  his  church  as  to  his  country,  though  he  has  identified  himself 
with  our  parish  during  his  residence  among  us.  There  was  something 
grand  and  yet  incongruous  in  the  service  in  this  church,  which  has  so  lately 
sheltered  the  rollicking  soldiers.  Doors  shattered  and  windows  broken  out, 
organ  destroyed,  and  the  elegance  and  beauty  of  the  building  greatly  marred. 
It  has  been  imperfectly  repaired  at  the  request  of  one  whom  its  former  aris- 
tocratic worshippers  hold  in  supreme  contempt  as  a  rebel  against  his  Maj- 
esty's most  righteous  rule.  Ho\y  very  different  was  the  scene  from  that  in 
the  days  before  the  war.  The  General's  majestic  figure,  bent  reverently  in 
prayer,  as  with  devout  earnestness  he  entered  into  the  service  ;  the  small- 
4 


50  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dudley. 

ness  of  the  band  of  worshippers,  and  the  strangeness  of  the  circumstances 
and  the  surroundings.  There  was  nothing  but  the  contrast  to  recall  the 
wealth  and  fashion  which  were  wont  to  congregate  there.  I  remember  the 
families  as  they  used  to  sit  in  church.  First,  in  front  of  the  chancel  were 
the  Temples,  who  every  Sabbath  drove  from  Ten  Hills  Farm  ; *  Mr.  Robert 
Temple  and  his  accomplished  wife  and  lovely  daughters.  Their  estate,  which 
is  a  very  fine  one,  is  on  the  supposed  site  of  Governor  Winthrop's  house 
as  early  as  1631,  and  where,  it  is  thought,  the  little  bark,  the  Blessing  of  the 
Bay,  the  first  vessel  built  in  American  waters,  was  launched  for  its  first  voy- 
age across  the  ocean.  Mr.  Temple  is  a  stanch  loyalist,  and  at  the  begin- 
ning of  war  took  passage  for  England,  leaving  his  family  at  the  Farm  under 
General  Ward's  protection.  The  vessel,  however,  was  detained,  and  he 
obliged  to  take  up  his  residence  in  our  camp.  Behind  the  Temples  sat  the 
Royalls,  relatives  of  Mrs.  Henry  Vassall,  the  Inmans  and  the  Borlands,  who 
owned  and  occupied  the  Bishop's  Palace,  as  the  magnificent  mansion,  built 
by  Rev.  Mr.  Apthorp,  opposite  the  president's  house,  is  called.  The  house 
is  grand  in  proportions  and  architecture,  and  is  fitted  in  every  respect  to 
bear  the  name  which  clings  to  it.  It  was  thought  that  Mr.  Apthorp  had  an 
eye  to  the  bishopric  when  he  came  to  take  charge  of  Christ  Church,  and 
put  up  this  house  of  stately  elegance.  But  whatever  his  wishes  may  have 
been,  they  were  not  realized,  for  he  abruptly  terminated  his  ministry  in  Cam- 
bridge after  a  few  years.  Among  his  congregation  were  the  Faneuils,  the 
Lechmeres,  the  Lees,  the  Olivers,  the  Ruggleses,  the  Phippses,  and  the  Vas- 
salls.  Many  of  these  families  were  connected  by  relationship.  Mrs.  Lee, 
Mrs.  Lechmere,  and  Mrs.  Vassall  the  elder,  are  sisters  of  Colonel  David 
Phipps,  and  daughters  of  Lieutenant-Governor  Spencer  Phipps.  The 
"  pretty  little,  dapper  man,  Colonel  Oliver,"  as  Reverend  Mr.  Serjeant  used 
to  call  in  sport  our  sometime  lieutenant-governor,  married  a  sister  of  Colonel 
John  Vassall  the  younger,  and  Colonel  Vassall  married  his.  Mrs.  Ruggles 
and  Mrs  Borland  are  aunts  of  Colonel  VassalPs.  These  families  were  on 
intimate  terms  with  one  another,  and  scarcely  a  day  passed  that  did  not 
bring  them  together  for  social  pleasures.  Judge  Jonathan  Sewall,  who  after- 
wards occupied  Judge  Richard  Lechmere's  house,  married  a  daughter  of 
Mr.  Edmund  Quincy,  an  elder  sister  of  Mrs.  John  Hancock.  I  well  remem- 
ber the  train  of  carriages  that  rolled  up  to  the  church  door,  bearing  the  wor- 
shippers to  the  Sabbath  service.  The  inevitable  red  cloak  of  Judge  Joseph 
Lee.  his  badge  of  office  in  the  King's  service,  hung  in  graceful  folds 
around  his  stately  form  ;  the  beauty  and  elegance  of  the  ladies  were  con- 
spicuous, as  silks  and  brocades  rustled  at  every  motion,  and  India  shawls 
told  of  wealth  and  luxury.  The  ties  of  blood  and  friendship  were  strength- 
ened by  those  of  a  common  faith,  and  the  treasury  of  the  church  was  filled 
by  cheerful  givers  from  their  abundance.  £Jow  everything  is  changed  —  all 
who  took  such  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  church,  all  the  original 

1  Ten  Hills  Farm  is  within  the  present  limits  of  Somerville.  —  ED. 


The  Union  Flag  on  Prospect  Hill.  51 

subscribers  for  the  building  are  gone,  with  exception  of  Judge  Joseph  Lee, 
who  is  unmolested  on  account  of  his  moderate  principles,  and  Mr.  John 
Pigeon,  who  is  a  patriot.  The  very  first  article. of  plate  this  church  possessed 
was  a  handsome  silver  christening  basin,  the  gift  of  Madame  Grizzel  Ap- 
thorp,  Dr.  East  Apthorp's  mother,  the  first  year  of  its  existence  as  a  church 
and  of  his  duties  as  rector.  It  is  inscribed  :  — 

ECCLESI>E    CHRISTI 

CANTABRIGI^E   IN    NOVA   ANGLIA 

ANATHEMA    CONSECRAVIT 

DNA    APTHORP 

MDCCLXI. 

The  communion  service,  a  silver  flagon  and  covered  cup,  was  presented 
by  Governor  Thomas  Hutchinson  through  Dr.  Caner,  rector  of  King's 
Chapel,  who  had  received  a  new  service  of  communion  plate  from  King 
George  III.  for  the  use  of  the  chapel  in  Boston.  This  flagon  and  cup  are 
inscribed  with  the  royal  arms  and  these  words  :  — 

THE   GIFT   OF 

K.   WILLIAM   AND  Q.    MARY 
TO   YE   REV'D     SAMLL   MYLES, 

FOR  YE  USE  OF 

THEIR   MAJESTIES   CHAPELL   IN  N.    ENGLAND, 
MDCXCIV. 

January  2.d.  —  Yesterday  a  union  flag  was  raised  on  Prospect  Hill.  It  has 
thirteen  stripes  of  alternate  red  and  white,  emblematic  of  the  thirteen 
united  colonies,  Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  Rhode  Island,  New  Hamp- 
shire, New  York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Delaware,  Maryland,  Virginia, 
North  and  South  Carolina,  and  Georgia,  and  on  a  blue  ground  in  the  corner 
are  the  united  red  and  white  crosses  of  St.  George  and  St.  Andrew.  As 
it  was  flung  to  the  breeze  and  tossed  and  spread  itself  in  graceful  glee, 
a  volley  of  thirteen  guns  thundered  forth  a  glad  greeting  to  our  national 
banner.  If 'one  can  trust  the  index  of  patriotism  and  determination  and 
bravery,  unswerving  in  the  face  of  dreadful  discouragements,  this  our 
national  flag  will  ere  long  proudly  wave  over  a  free  country.  There  it  is 
now,  flaunting  defiantly  in  the  very  eyes  of  his  Majesty's  troops,  who  are 
bewildered  by  the  loud  huzzas  which  fill  the  air.  Yesterday  was  the  birthday 
of  our  new  Continental  army.  The  first  hastily  organized  one  has  been 
disbanded  ;  within  gunshot,  too,  of  twenty  or  thirty  British  regiments. 
The  supply  of  fire-arms  is  so  small  that  the  guns  of  the  retiring  soldiers  were 
taken  from  them  to  do  service  a  second  time  in  the  hands  of  those  who 
now  step  into  their  places.  This  of  course  occasions  dissatisfaction,  as 
many  of  the  men  brought  their  own  muskets  when  they  enlisted.  But,  I  am 
sure,  they  will  submit  to  the  situation  pleasantly  when  they  see  the  neces- 


52  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dudley. 

sities  of  the  government.  General  Howe  shows  no  disposition  to  leave 
Boston,  nor  does  General  Washington  feel  secure  enough  in  tne  strength  of 
his  army  to  attempt  to  drive  him  away  just  yet.  One  of  our  officers  from 
General  Putnam's  division,  speaking  of  the  January  thaw,  expresses  the 
universal  want  of  the  soldiers  :  "  The  bay  is  open  ;  everything  thaws  here 
except  Old  Put.  He  is  still  as  hard  as  ever,  crying  out  for  powder,  powder, 
—  ye  gods,  give  us  powder  !  "  Congress  has  resolved  "  That  if  General 
Washington  and  his  council  of  war  should  be  of  opinion  that  a  successful 
attack  may  be  made  on  the  troops  in  Boston,  he  do  it  in  any  manner  he 
may  think  expedient,  notwithstanding  the  town  and  property  in  it  may  be 
destroyed."  President  Hancock,  in  communicating  this  resolve,  wrote  : 
"You  will  notice  the  resolution  relative  to  an  attack  upon  Boston.  This 
passed  after  a  most  serious  debate  in  a  committee  of  the  whole  house,  and  the 
execution  was  referred  to  you.  May  God  crown  your  attempt  with  success. 
I  most  heartily  wish  it,  though  individually  I  may  be  the  greatest  sufferer." 
January  \th.  —  His  Majesty's  "  most  gracious  "  speech  has  been  received. 

It  breathes  the  tenderest  compas- 
sion for  his  deluded  American  sub- 
jects. Yet  there  is  an  under-current 
of  revenge  and  threatening  of  de- 
struction, if  continued  rebellion  is 
persisted  in.  It  seems  that  the  day 
of  the  flag-raising  on  Prospect  Hill, 
the  speech  was  sent  to  General 
Washington  from  Boston,  and  the 
British,  hearing  the  noise  of  the 
shouting  soldiers,  misinterpreted  it 
as  a  signal  of  submission  to  the 
King,  and  are  daily  looking  for  a 
formal  surrender  of  our  lines.  How 
very  different  is  the  case  from  that 
of  their  anticipations  !  The  colo- 
nists are  more  united  than  ever  in 
HESSIAN  FLAG.  their  resistance.  They  have  burnt 

the  speech,  and  in  every  way  in  their  power  sought  to  express  their  indig- 
nation. General  Greene  says :  "  America  must  raise  an  empire  of  perma- 
nent duration,  supported  upon  the  grand  pillars  of  truth,  freedom,  and 
religion,  based  upon  justice,  and  defended  by  her  own  patriotic  sons.  From 
the  sincerity  of  my  heart,  ready  at  all  times  to  bleed  in  my  country's  cause, 
I  recommend  a  declaration  of  independence,  and  call  upon  the  world,  and 
the  great  God  who  governs  it,  to  witness  the  necessity,  propriety,  and  recti- 
tude thereof."  Great  Britain  is  to  hire  Hessians  to  crush  our  rebellious 
Colonies.  All  their  efforts  will  but  encounter  the  most  spirited  opposition, 
and  we  firmly  believe  will  result  in  nothing  but  disaster  to  themselves. 


Boston  Buildings  desecrated.  53 

January  \6th.  —  How  our  Boston  buildings  are  desecrated  by  the  British 
soldiers  !  Faneuil  Hall,  which  has  rung  with  the  eloquence  of  patriots,  is 
used  as  a  theatre,  where  ridiculous  plays  are  performed  and  our  army  and 
its  commanders  turned  into  sport.  Sometimes  the  playbills  are  sent  to  our 
officers  in  camp.  A  few  evenings  ago,  while  they  were  amusing  themselves 
with  a  performance  called  "  The  Blockade  of  Boston,"  in  which  General 
Washington  was  represented  as  an  uncouth  countryman,  dressed  shabbily, 
with  large  wig  and  long  rusty  sword,  suddenly  a  sergeant  appeared  and  cried 
out,  "  The  Yankees  are  attacking  our  works  on  Bunker  Hill."  Immediately 
General  Howe  gave  the  order,  "  Officers  to  your  alarm  posts !  "  and  there 
was  a  hasty  breaking  up  of  the  assembly.  The  alarm  was  caused  by  an  at- 
tempt of  our  soldiers  to  burn  the  remaining  houses  in  Charlestown,  — those 
that  had  escaped  the  general  conflagration  last  June,  and  which  are  used  for 
fuel  by  the  British.  The  flames  aroused  the  enemy  on  Bunker  Hill,  and 
there  was  some  firing  on  both  sides,  though  only  one  life  was  lost  on  the 
enemy's  side.  None  of  our  men  were  hurt. 

January  22*/.  —  A  most  curious  delegation  of  Indians  is  in  town,  of  the 
Caghnawaga  tribe  ;  come  to  visit  our  army  and  pay  their  respects  to  its 
Commander-in-chief.  General  Washington  treats  them  with  great  attention, 
and  will  exert  himself  to  make  their  stay  one  of  enjoyment,  that  they  may 
go  away  feeling  the  greatness  and  strength  of  our  government,  and  our 
friendship  toward  their  nation. 

January  i^th.  —  Have  been  honored  by  an  introduction  to  several  sachems 
and  warriors  of  the  Caghnawaga  Indians.  .Major  Mifflin  made  a  large  din- 
ner company,  to-day,  in  their  honor  and  I  was  invited.  The  Redmen  are 
very  courteous  in  Indian  fashion,  and  the  profound  bows  and  scrapes  they 
made  to  those  favored  with  presentation  are  truly  remarkable.  One  of  the 
sachems  is  of  English  birth,  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  carried  away  in  in- 
fancy by  the  savages  and  brought  up  as  one  of  their  own  children.  Another 
has  French  blood  in  his  veins.  They  go  to-morrow,  I  believe,  to  Roxbury, 
to  view  the  lines  under  General  Thomas's  command,  and  will  be  laden  with 
presents  of  clothing  and  trinkets  of  various  kinds  when  they  return  to  their 
own  people.  Mr.  John  Adams,  our  member  of  Congress,  was  at  Major  Mif- 
flin's  to-day.  He  came  from  Roxbury  this  morning,  and  to-morrow  continues 
his  journey  to  Philadelphia  to  join  the  Continental  Congress.  The  Indians, 
when  told  his  relations  to  government,  showed  signs  of  curiosity  and  regarded 
him  with  great  attention.  Mr.  Adams  is  a  fine  looking  man,  with  a  broad, 
capacious  head,  seemingly  equal  to  a  large  amount  of  brainwork,  pleasant 
though  serious  expression,  a  figure  a  little  below  the  medium  in  height,  and 
inclining  to  be  stout.  He  stands  among  the  foremost  men  in  Congress,  and 
his  ability  to  weigh  the  important  matters  of  state  is  undoubted.  He  it  is 
who  nominated  General  Washington  for  commander-in-chief,  and  the  clear- 
ness of  his  judgment  in  making  that  motion  is  acknowledged  by  every  one. 

January  ~2&th.  —  There  is  a  pamphlet  going  the  rounds  which  awakens 


54 


Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dudley. 


universal  interest,  and  the  sentiments  are  much  admired  for  their  boldness 
and  patriotism.  The  writer  is  one  Thomas  Paine,  an  English  Quaker  who 
has  been  in  America  a  little  over  a  year,  but  has  made  acquaintance  with 
Franklin,  Samuel  Adams,  Rush,  and  other  prominent  public  men.  This 
book  was  shown  to  them  for  criticism,  and  called  by  Rush  by  the  title  of 
"Common  Sense."  It  says  :  — 

"The  sun  never  shone  on  a  cause  of  greater  worth.  'T  is  not  the  affair  of 
a  city,  a  county,  a  province,  or  a  kingdom,  but  of  a  continent,  of  at  least  one 
eight  part  of  the  habitable  globe.  'T  is  not  the  concern  of  a  day,  a  year,  or 
an  age;  posterity  are  virtually  involved  in  it  even  to  the  end  of  time.  All 


SECOND  HARVARD,  BUILT  1766. 

men,  whether  in  England  or  America,  confess  that  a  separation  between  the 
countries  will  take  place  one  time  or  other.  To  find  out  the  very  time,  we 
need  not  go  far,  for  the  time  hath  found  us.  The  present,  likewise,  is  that 
peculiar  time  which  never  happens  to  a  nation  but  once,  the  time  of  forming 
itself  into  a  government.  Until  we  consent  that  the  seat  of  government  in 
America  be  legally  and  authoritatively  occupied,  where  will  be  our  freedom  ? 
Where  our  property  ?  Nothing  can  settle  our  affairs  so  expeditiously  as 
an  open  and  determined  declaration  of  independence.  The  blood  of  the 
slain,  the  weeping  voice  of  nature  cries,  't  is  time  to  part.  A  government  of 
our  own  is  our  natural  right.  Freedom  hath  been  hunted  round  the  globe ; 


The  Attack  on  Quebec.  55 

Europe  regards  her  as  a  stranger  ;  and  England  hath  given  her  warning  to 
depart.     Oh  !  receive  the  fugitive  and  prepare  an  asylum  for  mankind." 

January  2<)th.  —  The  expedition  which  left  Cambridge  last  autumn  for 
Canada  under  command  of  Benedict  Arnold,  encountered  terrible  trials, 
and  many,  frightened  at  the  hardships  of  the  march,  returned.  Those 
who  remained  endured  almost  incredible  sufferings  ;  cold,  hunger,  exhaus- 
tion, combined  to  render  them  wretched  and  incapable  of  service.  Their 
clothes  were  torn  by  the  forest  bushes,  their  bodies  scratched  by  numberless 
thorns,  and  their  shoes  worn  by  constant  walking  over  the  rough  ground,  so 
that  many  were  forced  to  go  barefoot,  their  food  so  scarce  that  many  a  meal 
was  furnished  by  the  faithful  dogs  of  the  party.  Here  and  there  a  man  was 
left  behind  to  die  on  the  road,  as  it  was  impossible  to  be  burdened  with 
helpless  invalids.  The  middle  of  November  the  expedition  —  that  part  which 
survived  the  horrors  of  the  march,  reached  Quebec,  and  the  third  day  of  last 
month  was  joined  by  General  Montgomery,  who  left  the  conquered  city  of 
Montreal  with  a  subordinate  officer,  and  came  to  attempt  the  conquest  of 
the  strongest  fortified  city  in  America.  For  several  weeks  the  besieging 
army  surrounded  the  city,  and  on  the  last  day  of  December  an  assault  was 
made,  headed  by  the  brave  general.  He  compelled  none  to  follow  him  in 
the  attack ;  he  wanted  with  him  "  no  persons  who  went  with  reluctance." 
To  his  own  soldiers  he  said :  "  Men  of  New  York,  you  will  not  fear  to 
follow  where  your  general  leads.  Push  on,  brave  boys  ;  Quebec  is  ours  ! " 
Pressing  forward  directly  in  front  of  the  cannon,  he  was  greeted  with  a  vol- 
ley of  grapeshot  which  laid  him  dead,  and  with  him  his  young  aid-de-camp, 
McPherson,  and  eleven  others.  Consternation  seized  the  expedition  at  the 
fall  of  its  commander,  and  an  immediate  retreat  was  ordered.  General 
Montgomery  was  an  experienced  soldier  and  a  valued  officer.  His  loss  is 
mourned  all  over  the  country.  .At  news  of  his  death  "  the  whole  city  of 
Philadelphia  was  in  tears  ;  every  person  seemed  to  have  lost  his  nearest  rel- 
ative or  heart  friend."  Congress  publicly  expressed  for  him  "  their  grateful 
remembrance,  profound  respect,  and  high  veneration  ;  and  desiring  to  trans- 
mit to  future  ages  a  truly  worthy  example  of  patriotism,  conduct,  boldness  of 
enterprise,  insuperable  perseverance,  and  contempt  of  danger  and  death,  re- 
solve to  rear  a  marble  monument  to  the  glory  of  Richard  Montgomery." 
Not  in  public  life  alone  was  he  beloved  and  honored  ;  in  all  the  relations  of 
home  he  was  faithful, — kind,  upright,  modest,  every  one  held  him  in  high 
esteem.  He  and  his  aid-de-camp  were  buried  with  military  honors  by  the 
governor  and  council  of  Quebec. 

January  30^.  —  Madame  Washington  has  enlivened  the  monotony  of  her 
winter  among  us  by  a  reception,  on  the  seventeenth  anniversary  of  her  wed- 
ding day.  The  fine  old  Vassall  mansion  was  in  gala  dress,  and  the  coming 
and  going  of  guests  brightened  the  sober  aspect  of  the  General's  head-quar- 
ters. The  General  and  his  wife  stood  in  the  drawing-room  at  the  left  of  the 
front  entrance,  and  there  received  the  company.  General  Washington's 


56  Extracts  from  the  Diary .  of  Dorothy  Dudley. 

study  is  the  room  opposite,  and  opening  out  of  this,  the  one  set  apart  for  his 
military  family.  These  of  course  were  all  thrown  open  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  the  guests.  There  was  much  chatting  and  walking  to  and  fro  and 
easy  and  social  manners  were  the  rule.  The  General  does  not  talk  much 
but  is  gracious  and  courteous  to  all.  His  lady  is  very  unceremonious  and 
easy  like  other  Virginia  ladies,  though  there  is  no  lack  of  dignity  in  her 
manner.  Of  course  simplicity  of  dress  was  noticeable,  —  no  jewels  or  costly 
ornaments,  —  though  tasteful  gowns,  daintly  trimmed  by  their  owner's  fin- 
gers, were  numerous.  The  occasion  was  a  most  enjoyable  one. 

February  3^.  — How  very  exact  General  Washington  is,  in  all  the  little  de- 
tails of  his  business  !  I  have  a  letter,  that  he  wrote  to  General  Sullivan 
this  week,  giving  directions  about  the  pay  of  soldiers  under  his  command 
which  illustrates  this  :  — 

"CAMBRIDGE,  z&tA  Jan.,  1776. 

DR  SIR  I  quite  forgot  to  enquire  last  night  (when  you  were  shewing 
me  the  Militia  Pay  Roll)  at  what  rates  the  officers  pay  was  charged  —  I  am 
willing  to  allow  them  the  same  pay  as  the  Troops  have  had  and  have  —  that 
is,  to  the  first  of  Jany  agreeable  to  the  old  establishment  — (more  I  cannot) 
-  &  For  the  month  of  Jany  according  to  the  present  pay.  This  is  put- 
ting of  them  in  all  respects  up  on  a  fodting  with  the  continental  army.  — You 
will  consider  therefore  how  far  this  alteration  will  square  with  your  mode  of 
making  up  the  Pay  Rolls,  as  the  manner  of  charging  &  extending  the 
sums  shd  appear  clear  upon  the  face  of  the  accts  —  I  must  again  desire 
you  to  request  the  Captains  to  be  very  correct  in  making  up  their  acc«* 
not  only  because  they  are  to  swear  to  them,  but  because  I  must  for 
my  own  Justification  have  all  the  extensions  &  additions  tryed.  —  Should 
any  of  them  therefore  prove  wrong,  they  will  not  only  give  themselves  a 
good  deal  of  trouble  &  delay  for  nothing  but  me  also,  and  I  must  again 
desire  that  they  may  be  cautioned  against  Including  men  that  have  Inlisted 
into  the  Continental  service,  as  I  will  take  a  good  deal  of  pains  to  prevent, 
and  if  not  prevented,  to  detect  an  evil,  which  I  am  apprehensive  will  be 
practiced.  If  I  recollect  the  Roll  you  showed  me  last  night  men  of  the 
same  Company  and  as  I  suppose  from  the  same  Town  are  charged  a  differ- 
ent number  of  days,  whereas  I  think  the  Ingagement  is,  that  they  are  to  be 
paid  from  the  time  of  their  marching  from  the  Town  —  however  as  I  was 
engaged  in  reading  letters  &  news  papers  at  the  time,  I  might  have  mis- 
taken the  matter.  As  I  understand  the  muster  Rolls  of  these  Companies 
(from  New  Hampshire)  are  lodged  with  you  I  should  be  glad  to  receive 
them  with  your  acct.  of  the  money  expended.  —  If  the  mileage  is  drawn  for 
in  the  manner  propos'd  by  you,  the  Corny  should  be  apprised  of  it,  as  he 
told  me  some  of  the  militia  capt"*  with  out  distinguishing  of  which  Govern- 
ment were  applying  to  settle  with  him.  I  am  Dr  Sir 

"  Yr  most  obed1    serv*- 
"  Ge  WASHINGTON. 


Preparations  for  the  Attack  of  Boston.  57 

"  P.  S.  If  you  are  not  Ingaged  I  should  be  glad  of  your  company  at  din- 
ner at  2  o'clock." 

February  4th,  Sunday.  —  Dr.  Langdon  preached  this  morning  from  Micah 
iv.  5  ;  "  For  all  people  will  walk  every  one  in  the  name  of  his  God,  and  we 
will  walk  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  our  God  forever  and  ever." 

His  sermon  in  the  afternoon  was  from  the  text :  "  Lord,  when  thy  hand 
is  lifted  up,  they  will  not  see  :  but  they  shall  see,  and  be  ashamed  for  their 
envy  at  the  people ;  yea,  the  fire  of  thine  enemies  shall  devour  them." 
They  were  warm,  earnest  discourses,  burning  with  patriotism  and  loyalty  to 
God.  It  is  a  pleasure  to  listen  to  the  words  of  our  good  President,  whenever 
he  visits  the  camp  and  occupies  Dr.  Appleton's  pulpit. 

February  nth.  —  To-day  the  pulpit  was  filled  by  Rev.  Mr.  Noble  of  New- 
buryport,  who  preached  a  good  sermon  from  Revelation  xix.  5  :  "  And  a 
voice  came  out  of  the  throne,  saying,  Praise  our  God  all  ye  his  servants,  and 
ye  that  fear  Him,  both  small  and  great."  The  meeting-house  was  well 
filled,  in  spite  of  the  intense  cold  which  crept  through  the  doors  and  win- 
dows, and  did  its  best  to  turn  us  all  into  icicles.  The  wind  whistled  its 
loudest,  and  blew  its  heaviest,  so  that  the  good  minister's  voice  was  often 
lost  in  the  tumult.  Having  no  cellar  under  the  building,  cold  feet  are  the 
order  of  the  day  these  wintry  Sabbaths,  for  all  who  are  not  provided  with 
a  foot-stove,  to  send  its  pleasant  warmth  through  the  whole  body.  I  won- 
der when  the  time  will  come  that  the  meeting-house  will  be  allowed  the 
comfort  of  a  stove  ! 

February  2"jth.  —  General  Washington  has  issued  orders,  that  "  all  offi- 
cers, non-commissioned  officers,  and  soldiers,  are  positively  forbid  playing  at 
cards  and  other  games  of  chance.  At  this  time  of  public  distress,  men  may 
find  enough  to  do  in  the  service  of  their  God  and  their  country,  without 
abandoning  themselves  to  vice  and  immorality.  As  the  season  is  now  fast 
approaching  when  every  man  must  expect  to  be  drawn  into  the  field  of  ac- 
tion, it  is  highly  important  that  he  should  prepare  his  mind  as  well  as  every- 
thing necessary  for  it.  It  is  a  noble  cause  we  are  engaged  in  ;  it  is  the 
cause  of  virtue  and  mankind  ;  every  temporal  advantage  and  comfort  to  us 
and  our  posterity,  depends  upon  the  vigor  of  our  exertions  ;  in  short,  free- 
dom or  slavery  must  be  the  result  of  our  conduct ;  there  can  therefore  be  no 
greater  inducement  to  men  to  behave  well.  But  it  may  not  be  amiss  for 
the  troops  to  know  that  if  any  man  in  action  shall  presume  to  skulk,  hide 
himself,  or  retreat  from  the  enemy  without  the  orders  of  his  commanding 
officer,  he  will  be  instantly  shot  down  as  an  example  of  cowardice  ;  cowards 
having  too  frequently  disconcerted  the  best  formed  troops  by  their  das- 
tardly behavior."  There  has  been  a  good  deal  of  card  playing  and  gam- 
bling of  various  kinds.  The  enforced  quiet  of  the  soldiers  has  been  irksome, 
and  they  enlivened  the  monotony  in  any  way  they  could  devise.  Many 
have  had  opportunity  to  work  at  their  trades  of  shoemaking,  tailoring,  and 


58  Extracts  front  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dudley. 

the  like,  or  to  add  to  their  income  by  selling  such  things  as  nuts,  apples, 
and  cider,  which  make  a  little  variety  in  the  daily  rations.  They  are  well 
fed,  having  a  good  supply  of  substantial  food  —  corned  beef  and  pork  four 
days  in  a  week,  salt  fish  one  day,  and  fresh  beef  two  days.  As  milk  is  out 
of  the  question  in  the  winter,  they  are  allowed  one  pound  and  a  half  of  beef, 
or  eighteen  ounces  of  pork  every  day.  A  half  pint  of  rice,  or  a  pint  of 
Indian  meal,  is  given  them  for  a  week,  a  quart  of  spruce  beer  daily,  or  nine 
gallons  of  molasses  to  one  hundred  men  per  week.  Every  man  has  one 
pound  of  flour  every  day  except  one,  in  a  week,  when  hard  bread  takes  its 
place.  Butter  is  given  out  at  the  rate  of  six  ounces  a  week,  to  each  man. 
Pease,  beans,  or  other  vegetables,  such  as  potatoes,  turnips,  onions,  are  dealt 
out  in  weekly  portions.  These  short  winter  days,  candles  are  quite  a  neces- 
sary article,  and  are  given  every  week  to  the  soldiers,  six  pounds  for  one 
hundred  men.  I  have  made  this  schedule  of  the  soldiers'  rations,  because 
everything  that  concerns  their  comfort  has  a  special  interest  for  me.  We 
seem  to  be  quartered  right  in  the  midst  of  the  army,  and  all  the  minutiae  of 
their  daily  life  are  an  open  book  before  us. 

March  -zd.  —  General  Washington  has  been  as  anxious  as  any  one  of  the 
soldiers  to  attack  Boston  and  dislodge  the  British  troops,  but  not  till  now 
has  he  felt  that  he  could  safely  undertake  it.  Under  many  difficulties, 
owing  to  the  hard,  frozen  ground,  works  have  been  thrown  up  on  Lech- 
mere's  Point  and  heavy  ordnance  placed  there.  Strong  guards  are  mounted 
on  the  works,  and  everything  ready  for  an  attack.  I  saw  some  mortars  car- 
ried over  to  the  Point  to-day.  The  camp  begins  to  look  as  if  battle  was 
resolved  upon.  Militia  from  the  neighboring  towns  is  pouring  in,  in  re- 
sponse to  General  Washington's  order.  Large  quantities  of  fagots  and 
screwed  hay  are  collected  for  entrenching  purposes,  and  what  tells  a  plainer 
story  than  all-  other  preparations,  two  thousand  bandages  are  in  readiness 
for  the  wounds  which  it  is  expected  will  need  them.  About  a  fortnight  ago 
we  had  some  very  severe  weather  which  made  strong  ice  between  Dorches- 
ter and  Boston  Neck  and  also  between  Roxbury  and  the  Common.  Gen- 
eral Washington  wished  to  take  that  opportunity  to  make  the  long  antici- 
pated assault  upon  the  troops  in  Boston,  by  marching  our  forces  over  the  ice. 
But  the  other  generals  of  the  council  of  war  thought  it  hazardous,  so  the 
attack  has  been  waiting  for  a  more  favorable  time. 

March  4///,  Monday.  —  Saturday  evening  the  house  shook  with  the  roar 
of  cannon  which  our  troops  were  firing  upon  poor  Boston  from  Lechmere's 
Point  x  and  Cobble  Hill  2  and  Roxbury.  The  British  returned  the  fire,  and  a 
shell  from  their  batteries  fell  on  Prospect  Hill.  Five  of  our  mortars  were 
burst  during  the  bombardment,  a  great  misfortune  to  us.  Yesterday  it  re- 
mained quiet  during  the  day,  but  the  firing  began  again  toward  night.  Three 
regiments  went  from  here  to  Roxbury  yesterday  and  carried  some  field 
pieces  with  them,  and  cannon  also  went  to  Lechmere's  Point. 

1  Lechmere's  Point,  now  East  Cambridge.  —  ED. 
8  Cobble  Hill,  now  Somerville.  —  ED. 


Dorchester  Heights  occupied.  59 

March  $th.  —  Last  night  about  seven  o'clock  firing  began  again,  and  im- 
mediately a  detachment  of  two  thousand  men  under  command  of  General 
Thomas  marched  to  Dorchester  Heights  and  took  possession.  They  moved 
very  quietly  and  worked  so  rapidly  at  the  entrenchments,  that  before  day- 
break this  morning  they  had  raised  them  high  enough  to  cover  themselves 
from  the  enemy's  shot.  These  works  command  Boston,  and  it  is  expected 
that  General  Howe  will  think  it  best  to  evacuate  the  town  very  soon,  or  else 
come  out  to  meet  our  soldiers  in  battle.  To-day  is  the  sixth  anniversary 
of  the  Boston  Massacre,  and  Washington  has  inflamed  the  desire  of  our 
men  for  a  contest  by  saying  :  "  Remember,  it  is  the  fifth  of  March,  a  day 
never  to  be  forgotten ;  avenge  the  death  of  your  brethren."  The  hills 
around  Boston  are  covered  with  eager  and  anxious  spectators  waiting  for 
the  conflict.  As  many  as  four  thousand  men  are  under  parade  near  Fort 
Number  Two,  commanded  by  Old  Put,  and  this  afternoon  they  are  to  embark 
in  boats  near  the  mouth  of  the  river  and  attack  Boston. 

March  6th.  —  A  most  furious  gale  of  wind  yesterday  afternoon  prevented 
the  anticipated  engagement.  To-day  the  rain  pours  in  torrents,  and  the 
wind  is  very  rough.  The  situation  of  General  Howe  and  his  troops  is  not 
enviable.  Their  fleet  cannot  ride  safely  in  such  a  turbulent  sea,  exposed, 
besides,  to  the  fire  of  our  batteries  on  Dorchester  Heights.  These  batter- 
ies are  a  source  of  wonder  to  the  British,  who  say  "  they  were  raised  with 
an  expedition  equal  to  that  of  the  genii  belonging  to  Aladdin's  Wonderful 
Lamp."  General  Howe  thinks  "the  rebels  have  done  more  in  one  night 
than  his  whole  army  would  have  done  in  a  month,"  and  believes  "it  must 
have  been  the  employment  of  at  least  twelve  thousand  men." 

March  "jth.  —  Fast  Day.     General  Washington  has  issued  this  order  :  — 

HEAD-QUARTERS,  CAMBRIDGE,  March  6,  1776. 

Countersign  :  Putnam.     Parole  :  Lechmere. 

Thursday,  the  7th  instant,  being  set  apart  by  the  honourable  the  Legisla- 
ture of  this  Province,  as  a  Day  of  fasting,  prayer,  and  humiliation,  "  to  im- 
plore the  Lord  and  Giver  of  all  victory,  to  pardon  our  manifold  sins  and 
wickednesses  and  that  it  would  please  him  to  bless  the  Continental  arms 
with  his  divine  favour  and  protection,"  all  officers  and  soldiers  are  strictly  en- 
joined to  pay  all  due  reverence  and  attention  on  that  day  to  the  sacred 
duties  to  the  Lord  of  hosts  for  his  mercies  already  received  and  for  those 
blessings  which  our  holiness  and  uprightness  of  life  can  alone  encourage  us 
to  hope  through  his  mercy  to  obtain."  Our  meeting-house  was  well  filled, 
and  Dr.  Appleton  preached  a  sermon  full  of  earnestness  and  devotion,  set- 
ting before  us  our  manifold  causes  for  humiliation  before  God. 

March  i%th. — Boston  is  free  at  last.  Yesterday  General  Howe  and  his 
entire  force  sailed  away  from  the  wharves  in  a  great  number  of  boats.  Im- 
mediately General  Putnam  with  several  regiments  crossed  the  river  arid 
landed  at  SewalPs  Point.  Sentinels  were  apparently  standing  at  their  posts 


60  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dtidley. 

on  Bunker  Hill,  but  on  closer  view  were  found  to  be  wooden  men  left  by 
the  retreating  troops  to  mislead  us.  When  the  hoax  was  discovered  a  great 
shout  of  joy  arose,  and  the  cry  went  out,  "  Boston  is  ours  !  Boston  is  ours  !  " 
The  evacuation  was  looked  for  several  days  ago,  and  was  probably  hastened 
by  the  erection  of  a  battery  on  Nook's  Hill,  the  part  of  Dorchester  nearest 
Boston,  specially  dreaded  by  General  Howe  since  it  completely  commands 
the  town.  A  terrible  cannonade  was  kept  up  a  great  part  of  the  time 
from  the  first  occupation  of  Dorchester  Heights  till  the  departure  of  the 
King's  troops.  To-day  General  Washington  entered  the  town,  accompanied 
by  Mrs.  Washington.  He  has  ordered  General  Heath  to  assume  the  com- 
mand of  five  regiments  and  a  portion  of  artillery  and  march  immediately  to 
New  York,  as  it  is  thought  that  town  will  be  the  next  object  of  British  in- 
vestment. The  fleet  is  still  in  Nantasket  Roads,  much  to  our  annoyance. 

March  igth.  —  Boston  is  not  much  injured  outwardly,  I  believe.  Most  of 
of  the  houses  remain  as  they  were,  a  few  old  wooden  buildings  only  having 
been  pulled  down  for  fuel.  General  Washington  will  not  allow  any  person 
to  enter  the  town  without  a  pass,  owing  to  the  prevalence  of  small-pox,  and 
has  issued  order  that  "as  soon  as  the  selectmen  report  the  town  to  be 
cleansed  from  infection,  liberty  will  be  given  to  those  who  have  business 
there  to  go  in.  The  inhabitants  belonging  to  the  town  will  be  permitted  to 
return  to  their  habitations,  proper  persons  being  appointed  at  the  Neck  and 
at  Charlestown  Ferry,  to  grant  them  passes." 

March  2o//z.  —  The  main  body  of  the  army  entered  Boston  to-day.  As 
they  marched  through  the  streets  so  long  closed  against  them,  doors  and 
windows  were  crowded  with  the  long  imprisoned  people,  whose  faces  bright- 
ened with  welcome  as  they  passed.  After  eleven  months'  siege,  meaning, 
as  it  did  for  them,  cruelty  and  insult  and  want,  how  glad  to  their  ears  were 
the  sounds  of  soldiers'  tread,  keeping  time  to  the  music  of  Yankee  Doodle, 
and  the  shouts  of  American  regiments,  as  cheer  after  cheer  was  borne  upon 
the  air.  With  drums  beating  and  colors  flying,  they  traversed  the  town  from 
end  to  end.  Universal  joy  prevails  at  the  recovery  of  this  town,  which  has 
been  contended  for  by  both  armies,  and  which  Great  Britain  considers 
of  enough  importance  to  spend  millions  of  money  for  its  possession. 

March  2ist.  —  General  Washington  has  issued  a  proclamation  to  the  people 
of  Boston,  and  the  troops  which  are  quartered  there,  assuring  the  former  of 
the  good  will  of  the  army,  and  calling  upon  them  to  give  information  of  any 
provisions  or  military  stores  that  may  have  been  hidden  by  the  retreating 
army.  It  also  charges  the  officers  to  do  all  in  their  power  to  bring  peace 
and  good  order  out  of  the  confusion  that  reigns  at  present. 

March  2^d.  —  The  town  is  open  for  all  who  wish  to  go  in,  and  yesterday  an 
immense  concourse  of  people  from  all  the  surrounding  country  crowded  the 
streets.  Many  went  from  curiosity,  others  to  see  again  the  friends  and  rela- 
tives they  had  so  long  been  parted  from.  It  was  very  touching  to  witness 
the  tearful  meeting  of  mothers  with  their  children,  of  sisters  and  brothers 


Boston  occupied. 


61 


whom  the  terrors  and  sufferings  of  the  past  months  have  kept  ignorant  of 
one  another's  condition.  Washington  was  overwhelmed  with  expressions  of 
gratitude,  and  was  addressed  by  the  selectmen  in  the  name  of  the  people. 
They  said  :  "  Next  to  the  divine  power,  we  ascribe  to  your  wisdom  that  this 
acquisition  has  been  made  with  so  little  effusion  of  human  blood."  The 
chief  replied  in  graceful  words,  commending  their  wonderful  and  heroic 
patriotism  and  endurance,  and  ascribing  this  victory  more  to  the  courage  and 
skill  of  the  soldiers  than  to  himself.  There  have  been  less  than  twenty  men 
killed  in  our  army  during  all  the  months  since  Washington  assumed  the 
command.  This  is  remarkable  :  so  large  a  victory  at  so  small  a  price  ! 

March  zjth.  —  Most  of  the  British  fleet,  which  has  been  lying  outside  the 
harbor  for  the  last  ten  days,  has  at  last  spread  its  sails  and  moved  away. 


HOLLIS  HALL,  COMPLETED  1763. 

This  is  what  Washington  has  been  waiting  for,  before  ordering  the  army  to 
the  south.  To-day  a  brigade  under  General  Sullivan  has  marched.  Con- 
gress, on  the  motion  of  Mr.  John  Adams,  have  "  resolved  that  the  thanks  of 
Congress  in  their  own  name,  and  in  the  name  of  the  Thirteen  United  Colo- 
nies whom  they  represent,  be  presented  to  his  Excellency  General  Wash- 
ington, and  the  officers  and  soldiers  under  his  command,  for  their  wise  and 
spirited  conduct  in  the  siege  and  acquisition  of  Boston,  and  that  a  medal  of 
gold  be  struck  in  commemoration  of  this  great  event,  and  presented  to  his 
Excellency  ;  and  that  a  committee  of  three  be  appointed  to  prepare  a  letter 
of  thanks  and  a  proper  device  for  the  medal."  Our  noble  Commander-in-chief 
has  disclaimed  all  merit  of  the  victory,  and  transferred  the  praise  to  the  men 
under  his  command.  He  said  :  "  They  were,  indeed,  at  first,  a  band  of  un- 


62  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dudley, 

disciplined  husbandmen  ;  but  it^is,  under  God,  to  their  bravery  and  atten- 
tion to  duty,  that  I  am  indebted  for  that  success  which  has  procured  me  the 
only  reward  I  wish  to  receive  —  the  affection  and  esteem  of  my  country- 
men." 

March  2<)th.  —  Another  address  of  congratulation  and  commendation  to 
General  Washington.  This  from  the  two  branches  of  the  legislature  com- 
bined. They  say  :  "  Go  on,  still  go  on,  approved  by  Heaven,  —  revered  by 
all  good  men,  and  dreaded  by  tyrants  ;  may  future  generations,  in  the  peace- 
ful enjoyment  of  that  freedom  which  your  sword  shall  have  established,  raise 
the  most  lasting  monuments  to  the  name  of  Washington."  Yesterday  he  at- 
tended the  long-established  Thursday  lecture,  which  Boston  has  kept  up 
since  the  days  of  Winthrop  and  Wilson,  but  which  the  troubles  of  the  last 
months  have  interrupted.  It  was  a  season  of  joyful  gratitude  to  God,  who 
had  delivered  this  New  England  Zion  from  the  power  of  its  oppressor,  and 
had  brought  peace  and  quietness  once  more  into  its  homes.  The  good  old 
town  they  call  "  a  tabernacle  that  should  never  be  taken  down,  of  which  not 
one  of  the  stakes  should  ever  be  removed,  nor  one  of  the  cords  be  broken." 
April  4th.  —  To-day  General  Washington  has  left  Cambridge  and  gone  to 
New  York.  All  the  troops,  with  the  exception  of  five  regiments  under  the 
command  of  General  Ward,  have  left  with  him.  It  is  feared  that  the  British 
fleet  may  return,  after  putting  us  off  our  guard,  and  works  are  building  rap- 
idly in  defense  of  the  harbor.  General  Ward  has  stationed  two  regiments 
in  Boston,  one  at  Dorchester  Heights,  one  at  Charlestown,  and  one  at  Bev- 
erly. 

April  *jth,  Sunday.  —  Dr.  Appleton  preached  to-day  from  Proverbs  xxii. 
I  :  "  A  good  name  is  rather  to  be  chosen  than  great  riches,  and  loving  favor 
rather  than  silver  and  gold."  A  beautiful  sermon,  alluding  tenderly  and 
with  reverence  to  our  beloved  Commander-in-chief,  who  has  gloriously  earned 
all  the  affection  which  is  lavished  upon  him,  whose  name  will  live  in  New 
England  hearts  forever,  as  that  of  our  deliverer  from  slavery.  The  good 
Doctor  applied  the  text  to  us  individually  and  as  a  nation,  urging  us  to  see 
to  it  that  history,  as  she  sends  our  record  to  the  future,  writes  only  of  truth, 
godliness,  and  courage,  untainted  by  covetousness,  or  cowardice,  or  deceit. 

Boston,  April  loth.  —  Here  I  am  in  our  much-suffering  town,  which  is 
cleared  at  last  of  its  persecutors.  Mrs.  McHenry  invited  me  to  accompany 
her  husband  and  herself  yesterday  to  spend  a  few  days  with  her  sister,  and 
I  gladly  embraced  the  opportunity.  The  eight  miles'  ride  seemed  longer 
than  ever  in  our  impatience  to  stand  once  more  in  the  streets  consecrated 
by  the  blood  of  martyrs.  At  the  Neck  we  passed  the  British  fortifications, 
and  looked  upon  the  works  on  Dorchester  Heights,  which  were  so  great  a 
source  of  terror  to  General  Howe's  troops,  and  which  effectually  drove  them 
away  from  our  shores.  We  rode  through  Orange  and  Newbury  streets  1  to 

1  Orange,  Newbury,  Marlborough  streets  and  Cornhill  formed  what  is  now  Washington  Street.  — 
Eo. 


Boston  after  the  Siege.  63 

Hanover  Square,1  and  there  our  eyes  were  saddened  by  the  sight  of  —  not 
the  grand  old  Liberty  Tree  which  has  spread  its  limbs  for  more  than  a  hun- 
dred years  —  but  only  its  stump.  Of  all  the  magnificent  trees  in  this  elm 
neighborhood,  this  was  the  finest  of  them  all,  but  its  name  and  the  remem- 
brance of  the  many  treasonable  acts  it  has  sanctioned  in  Liberty  Hall,2  were 
enough  to  enlist  against  it  the  detestation  of  British  soldiers.  Last  August 
it  fell  a  victim  to  the  ax,  and  provided  for  the  comfort  of  its  destroyers  full 
fourteen  cords  of  wood.  From  Newbury  Street  we  passed  into  Marlborough 
Street,  and  stopped  in  front  of  the  Old  South  Church.  This  has  been  dese- 
crated by  the  soldiers,  who  used  it  as  a  riding  school,  covering  the  floors 
with  many  hundred  cart-loads  of  gravel,  after  removing  the  pulpit  and  pews, 
which  they  used  as  fuel.  Many  of  the  valuable  papers  and  books  of  Rev. 
Thomas  Prince,  which  were  kept  in  the  tower,  were  used  to  kindle  fires  for 
the  lawless  soldiery,  and  the  parsonage  adjoining,  with  several  noble  syca- 
more trees  in  front,  were  pulled  down  for  firewood. 

Turning  toward  our  left  hand,  the  Old  Province  House  reared  its  stately 
walls  before  us,  every  brick  of  which  was  made  thousands  of  miles  away  in 
Holland,  and  was  brought  across  the  rolling  ocean  nearly  a  hundred  years 
ago,  by  Mr.  Peter  Sargeant,  whose  initials,  with  the  year  of  its  erection, 
stand  forth  prominently  in  the  iron  fence  which  surmounts  the  portico  :  — 

16    P.  S.     79 

How  many  governors,  appointed  by  his  Majesty  to  rule  our  new  rebellious 
Colony,  have,  during  the  last  sixty  years,  ascended  those  massive  steps  ! 
Often  have  they  stood  upon  the  balcony  in  front  to  address  the  throng  of 
loyal  colonists  in  the  street  below,  and  in  response  to  their  loud  huzzas, 
bowed  in  courtly  dignity.  The  old  building  remains  the  same  as  when  they 
held  their  grand  levees  within  its  fine  apartments,  and  received  homage  as 
viceroys  of  the  King,  but  we  fondly  believe  that  the  times  have  so  far 
changed  that  Sir  William  Howe  will  be  the  very  last  of  his  Majesty's  repre- 
sentatives whose  authority  will  be  respected  in  Massachusetts.  Here  he 
held  consultation  with  General  Gage  before  the  disastrous  battle  of  Bunker 
Hill,  and  from  the  cupola  which  crowns  the  summit,  he  watched  the  ap- 
proach of  our  besieging  army,  before  which,  at  last,  he  beat  an  ignominious 
retreat.  The  gilded  Indian  which  acts  as  weather-vane,  was  pointing  his 
arrow  directly  east  as  we  passed,  and  over  him  and  the  mansion  he  faith- 
fully guarded,  floated  our  Union  flag  of  thirteen  stripes.  Continuing  our 
journey  through  Marlborough  Street  to  the  State  House,  above  which  waved 
the  same  glorious  banner,  we  looked  down  King  Street,  where  the  memor- 
able Massacre  took  place  six  years  ago.  Up  Cornhill,  past  the  shop  of  Paul 
Revere,  the  intrepid  patriot  and  skilful  mechanic,  into  Queen  Street,  and 
then  we  paused  at  the  foot  of  Pemberton  Hill.  The  hill  is  terraced,  and 

1  Hanover  Square,  where  Essex,  Washington,  and  Boylston  streets  meet.  —  ED. 

2  The  ground  around  the  tree  was  familiarly  known  as  Liberty  Hall.  —  Eu. 


64  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dudley. 

a  long  flight  of  steps  leads  to  the  magnificent  mansion  on  its  brow.1  The 
grounds  are  tastefully  laid  out,  nature  and  art  uniting  to  make  this  one  of 
the  finest  private  residences  in  Boston.  Lord  Percy,  I  believe,  lived  here 
during  a  part  of  his  stay  in  town.  Then  we  passed  on  to  our  destination  on 
Beacon  Hill.  Mrs.  McHenry's  sister,  Mrs.  Elwyn,  received  us  most  cor- 
dially. Her  home  is  not  far  from  Mr.  Hancock's  house,  and  overlooks  the 
Common,  which  affords  pasturage  for  numberless  cows,  which  make  con- 
tinual music  with  the  tinkling  of  their  bells  and  their  contented  lowing  from 
morning  till  night.  These  fifty  acres  of  hills  and  valleys  reach  from  the 
granary  graveyard  on  the  one  side,  to  the  ebb  and  flow  of  the  busy  Charles 
river,  which  washes  the  lower  end.  Grand  old  trees  shade  its  walks  in  the 
summer  months,  and  now  are  beginning  to  awake  after  a  winter's  sleep,  and 
put  forth  delicate  buds  in  token  of  life.  The  great  elm  which  has  watched 
the  growth  of  the  town  from  its  earliest  settlement,  is  still  as  strong  and 
full  of  vigor  as  ever.  This  morning  we  have  been  sauntering  through  the 
grounds  so  lately  covered  with  the  camp  of  the  British  troops.  Walked  up 
Frog  Lane  to  Common  Street,  and  turned  into  Blott's  Lane,  past  the  house 
of  Sam  Adams  ;  thence  back  to  the  enclosure,  crossing  which  we  found  our- 
selves in  front  of  Mr.  Hancock's  house,  which  was  occupied  by  General 
Clinton  and  Lord  Percy  at  different  times  during  the  siege.  The  house  and 
stables  were  both  used  for  the  wounded  after  Bunker  Hill  battle.  The 
magnificent  mansion,  standing,  as  it  does,  on  the  brow  of  the  hill,  command- 
ing an  extensive  view  of  the  country  around,  is  typical  of  the  prominence 
and  exalted  station  of  its  owner,  who  has  incurred  the  deadly  displeasure  of 
the  royal  government,  by  reason  of  his  determined  patriotism.  After  the 
Lexington  affair  the  house  was  pillaged  by  the  soldiers,  who  broke  down  the 
fences  and  did  some  slight  damage  in  other  ways.  It  has  been  repaired, 
however,  and  looks  now  as  in  the  good  old  days  before  British  tyranny 
crushed  our  liberties  to  the  ground.  The  same  massive  stone  walls,  sup- 
porting a  tiled  roof,  from  which  several  dormer  windows  look  forth  upon  the 
town  and  its  surroundings  ;  the  same  projecting  balcony  over  the  front  door  ; 
the  same  broad  stone  steps  and  paved  walk  leading  from  the  street,  so  often 
trodden  by  old  Thomas  Hancock  and  pranced  over  by  the  boyish  feet  of 
President  Hancock,  thirty  years  ago.  We  went  over  the  house,  into  the 
grand  drawing-room  at  the  right,  where  hang  portraits  of  the  Hancock 
family,  back  to  the  days  of  the  early  Puritans  ;  into  the  immense  dining- 
hall  opening  out  of  this,  designed  for  large  companies  ;  into  the  family  draw- 
ing-room at  the  left  of  the  entrance,  and  the  smaller  dining-room  out  of  it, 
and  through  the  spacious  halls  and  chambers  elegantly  furnished  and  hung 
with  pictures  of  various  kinds.  Things  are  not  injured  nearly  as  much  as 
was  feared.  The  furniture  and  pictures  are  in  good  condition.  This  after- 
noon Mrs.  Elwyn  took  us  to  drive  through  the  North  End.  We  passed 

1  Afterwards  the  residence  of  Gardner  Greene.  —  ED. 


Boston  after  the  Siege.  65 

through  Common  Street J  to  School  Street,  and  stopped  at  King's  Chapel. 
Here  we  found  ourselves  on  the  oldest  ground  probably,  built  upon  in  Bos- 
ton. The  British  officers  worshipped  in  the  chapel  during  the  occupation 
of  Boston  by  their  troops,  and  when  they  evacuated  the  town,  Dr.  Caner, 
its  rector,  went  with  them  to  Halifax,  taking  with  him  all  the  church  regis- 
ters, plate,  and  vestments.  His  residence  is  just  north  of  the  chapel.  We 
alighted  at  the  old  burying  ground,  and  walked  reverently  among  the 
graves,  some  of  them  a  century  old  ;  read  the  inscription  upon  the  monu- 
ment to  Rev.  John  Cotton,  the  first  minister  of  the  church,  as  well  as  that 
of  old  Governor  Winthrop  of  beloved  memory.  On  Long  Acre  we  rode 
over  the  same  ground  where,  one  year  ago  this  month,  Lord  Percy's  brigade 
formed  in  line  of  march  to  hasten  to  the  assistance  of  the  royal  troops  in 
Lexington.  Looking  down  School  Street  the  old  Latin  School  rose  before 
us.  Here  Dr.  Franklin  went  to  school  for  a  year,  and  John  Hancock  was 
taught  in  childhood.  The  appearance  of  Percy's  troops  on  that  memorable 
April  morning,  stretching  their  glittering  length  past  School  Street,  was  the 
signal  to  dismiss  the  awe-struck  scholars  who,  as  a  school,  have  never  met 
since.  We  rode  through  Tremont  Street  into  Gay  Alley,2  and  paused  a  mo- 
ment at  the  handsome  new  church,  built  only  four  years  ago.  Dr.  Cooper, 
its  pastor,  a  true-hearted  patriot,  left  Boston  after  Lexington  fight,  and  Gen- 
eral Gage  quartered  a  British  regiment  here  for  a  while.  But  services 
were  sometimes  held  in  Brattle  Church  during  the  siege.  It  did  not  escape 
in  the  bombardment  of  the  town,  having  been  struck  by  a  twenty-four 
pound  cannon  ball  from  our  batteries  at  Lechmere's  Point.  At  our  right 
stood  Faneuil  Hall,  the  Cradle  of  Liberty,  whose  walls  have  echoed  the 
burning  words  of  Otis,  and  Adams,  and  Warren.-  Turning  into  Middle 
Street,3  we  passed  the  residence  of  Dr.  Warren,  where,  as  a  skilful  physi- 
cian,, no  less  than  a  warm  and  earnest  patriot,  he  attracted  to  himself  the 
affection  and  esteem  of  his  townsmen.  In  our  ride  we  passed  the  Orange 
Tree  Tavern,4  the  houses  of  Paul  Revere  and  James  Otis,  and  the  Green 
Dragon  Tavern,  where  "  treasonable  "  meetings  were  held  by  Boston  me- 
chanics for  the  purpose  of  conferring  as  to  the  best  methods  of  thwarting 
the  movements  of  the  Tories  and  the  British  soldiers.  These  meetings  were 
very  secret,  the  subject  discussed  being  made  known  to  only  a  few  of  the 
leading  patriots,  like  Hancock,  Adams,  Warren,  Otis,  Church.  But  unac- 
countable as  it  seemed,  General  Gage  was  always  informed  of  their  move- 
ments, and  not  till  the  arrest  of  Dr.  Church  did  the  mystery  explain  itself. 
Then  it  was  easy  to  trace  the  treachery. 

The  North  Church  was  full  of  interest  to  us  as  the  place  where  the  lan- 
terns hung  and  flashed  forth  their  warning  light  to  the  eyes  of  the  waiting 

1  Common  Street,  Long  Acre,  and  Tremont  Street,  are  now  Tremont  Street  —  ED. 
z  Gay  Alley,  an  old  name  for  Brattle  Street.  —  ED. 

3  Now  Hanover  Street.  —  ED. 

4  The  Orange  Tree  Tavern  stood  on  what  is  now  the  corner  of  Court  and  Hanover  Streets.  —  ED. 


66  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dudley. 

Paul  Revere,  on  the  evening  of  April  18,  1775. x  On  the  opposite  Charles- 
town  shore  he  paced  impatiently  back  and  forth,  casting  many  a  look  toward 
the  spire  which  for  fifty  years  had  pointed  upward  with  steady  finger.  At 
last  the  signal  flamed  forth  through  the  darkness,  and  the  midnight  rider 
sprang  to  his  horse  and  was  off  on  his  patriotic  errand.  Here  on  Copp's 
Hill  were  British  redoubts,  behind  which,  June  i;th,  our  soldiers  on  Bunker 
Hill  were  fired  upon,  and  on  that  day  so  full  of  disaster  to  the  royal  troops, 
the  hill  and  all  houses  near  were  covered  with  eager  spectators  of  the  battle. 
General  Gage  witnessed  the  affair  from  the  steeple  of  the  North  Church, 
they  say.  I  must  not  forget  the  graves  in  Copp's  Hill  Cemetery,  through 
which  we  walked.  Here  are  buried  Dr.  Increase  Mather  and  his  son 
Rev.  Cotton  Mather,  and  many  others,  who  have  filled  places  of  honor 
in  church  and  state.  Some  of  the  graves  are  fully  a  hundred  and  fifty 
years  old.  Major  Pitcairn  of  Lexington  fame,  who  was  killed  at  Bunker 
Hill  by  the  bullet  of  a  negro  soldier,  is  interred  under  Christ  Church. 
They  say  the  British  major  was  a  brave  officer,  just  and  impartial  in  his 
treatment  of  his  soldiers,  and  greatly  beloved  by  them.  He  fell  mortally 
wounded  into  the  arms  of  his  son,  who  bore  him  in  a  boat  across  the 
river,  to  a  house  near  the  ferry.  General  Gage,  it  is  said,  sent  his  own 
physician  to  attend  him,  but  he  lived  but  a  short  time.  We  passed  the 
fine  old  mansion  of  Governor  Hutchinson,  which  was  so  injured  by  the 
mob  ten  years  ago,  during  the  Stamp  Act  troubles.  Thomas  Hutchinson 
was  held  in  high  esteem  before  the  tyrannical  conduct  of  the  mother  country 
aroused  the  spirit  of  liberty  in  our  Colonies,  and  the  part  he  played  at  the 
beginning  of  the  contest,  made  him  as  offensive  as  before  he  had  been  pop- 
ular. He  departed  for  England  two  years  ago,  leaving  this  grand  old  house 
built  by  his  father,  the  place  of  his  birth  and  residence  for  nearly  sixty-five 
years.  It  is  built  of  brick,  with  six  Corinthian  pilasters  in  front  and  the 
crown  of  Great  Britain  surmounting  each  window.  The  interior  is  replete 
with  magnificence,  and  the  grounds  are  extensive  and  tasteful.  The  Gov- 
ernor's library,  which  was  of  great  value,  including  many  choice  manuscripts, 

1  "Impatient  to  mount  and  ride, 
Booted  and  spurred,  with  a  heavy  stride 
On  the  opposite  shore  walked  Paul  Revere. 
Now  he  patted  his  horse's  side, 
Now  gazed  at  the  landscape  far  and  near, 
Then,  impetuous,  stamped  the  earth, 
And  turned  and  tightened  his  saddle-girth ; 
But  mostly  he  watched  with  eager  search 
The  belfry-tower  of  the  old  North  Church, 
As  it  rose  above  the  graves  on  the  hill, 
Lonely  and  spectral  and  sombre  and  still. 
And  lo !  as  he  looks,  in  the  belfry's  height 
A  glimmer,  and  then  a  gleam  of  light ! 
He  springs  to  the  saddle,  the  bridle  he  turns, 
But  lingers  and  gazes,  till  full  on  his  sight 
A  second  lamp  in  the  belfry  burns."  —  Longfelicw. 


Affairs  in  Cambridge.  67 

and  the  furniture  which  was  rich  and  costly,  were  destroyed  by  the  enraged 
mob,  August  26,  1765. 

[LETTER  FROM  DOROTHY  DUDLEY  TO  MISS  ESTHER  LIVINGSTONE.] 

CAMBRIDGE,  Afril  ig/A,  1776. 

MY  DEAREST  ESTHER,  —  Your* long-promised  visit  to  our  little  town  not 
made  yet !  I  am  impatient  to  show  you  its  beauties  now  that  spring  is 
peeping  at  us  with  tearful  eyes  while  all  the  time  her  face  is  rippling  with 
laughter.  You  know  that  this  is  the  first  anniversary  of  the  never-to-be-for- 
gotten day  which  began  the  dreadful  war  that  is  upon  us.  This  year  has 
been  one  of  severe  trial  for  us  all.  Of  course  there  has  bee,n  reason  for 
great  economy  both  in  household  expenses  and  in  dress.  Tea  is  a  comfort 
put  from  us  with  resolution,  though  its  absence  from  our  tables  is  cuttingly 
felt  by  many.  As  far  as  it  is  possible  we  patronize  only  home  manufactures, 
and  ourselves  use  the  spindle  to  diminish  the  necessity  for  foreign  material. 
The  residence  among  us  of  so  large  a  body  of  soldiers  has  made  our  life  in 
some  sense  a  military  one,  our  hands,  our  sympathies,  and  our  time  having 
been  devoted  to  their  interests.  I  find,  in  looking  over  my  diary,  that  the 
entries  are  almost  without  exception  relating  to  the  doings  of  the  army,1  and, 
indeed  were  you  with  us  you  would  not  wonder  at  this.  There  have  been 
no  interests  separate  from  the  soldiers',  or  I  ought  to  say  from  our  country's. 
Your  letter  received  by  Major  Heath  was  very  welcome.  I  am  glad  you 
have  so  warm  a  friendship  with  Mrs.  Hancock.  Her  sister,  Miss  Katy 
Ouincy,  is  expecting  to  go  to  Philadelphia  in  a  few  weeks,  and  I  hope  you 
will  make  her  acquaintance.  She  is  somewhat  older  than  Mrs.  Hancock, 
who  is,  I  think,  the  youngest  of  the  family.  Mrs.  Judge  Sewall,  you  know, 
is  another  sister.  They  are  a  charming  family,  and  Mr.  Ouincy  is  a  devoted 
father,  warmly  beloved  by  them  all. 

You  ask  for  descriptions  of  some  of  the  persons  of  note  that  have  favored 
our  town  with  their  presence.  First  and  foremost  of  all  I  place  our  Com- 
mander-in-chief, but  I  am  sure  you  already  know  from  other .  sources  his 
characteristics,  mental  and  physical.  I  will  only  say  he  has  a  fine  face,  a 
noble  manner,  and  is  the  personification  of  truth  and  uprightness.  General 
Charles  Lee  you  have  seen,  and  need  no  words  of  mine  to  bring  before  you 
his  tall,  lank  figure  and  prominent  features,  marked  by  uniform  carelessness 
of  the  opinion  of  others.  "  Old  Put "  is  a  rough,  fiery  genius,  ready  for 
hard  work  whenever  and  wherever  it  presents  itself,  spurring  his  men  on  to 
great  achievements,  and  beloved  by  them  all,  because  of  the  good,  honest 
heart  hidden  behind  the  prickly  burr.  General  Nathaniel  Greene,  who  has 
had  command  under  General  Lee  at  Prospect  Hill,  is  the  only  general,  they 
say,  that  showed  his  pleasure  at  the  appointment  of  Washington  to  the 
chief  command  by  addressing  words  of  welcome  to  him  for  himself  and  sol- 
diers upon  his  arrival  at  Cambridge.  He  was  a  Quaker  before  the  war 

1  The  Editor  has  already  expressed  his  suspicion  that  another  reason  may  be  suggested  for  this. 


68  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dudley. 

called  out  his  fighting  genius  and  awoke  his  slumbering  patriotism.  He 
took  his  first  lessons  in  the  military  school  by  watching  the  British  soldiers 
exercise  on  Boston  Common,  and  followed  them  up  by  vigorous  study  of 
books  and  military  life  as  he  saw  it  around  him.  He  learned  so  rapidly  that 
few  generals  stand  higher  in  the  confidence  of  his  peers  than  General 
Greene.  He  is  rather  a  large  man,  with  a  face  indicating  fire  and  firmness, 
tempered  by  the  innate  goodness  which  looks  out  of  his  clear,  quiet  eyes. 
General  Harry  Knox  is  his  most  intimate  and  trusted  friend.  The  two 
were  almost  constantly  together  in  days  when  both  were  studying  the  art  of 
war,  and  Mr.  Knox  kept  a  bookstore  on  Cornhill.  He,  like  his  friend,  is  the 
soul  of  honor,  gentle  as  well  as  brave,  and  possessed  of  a  manly  heart  brim- 
ming with  benevolence.  You  know  our  veterans,  Ward  and  Pomeroy,  and 
are  well  acquainted  with  that  queer  little  man,  our  excellent  quartermaster- 
general,  Thomas  Mifflin,  who  is  the  right  man  in  the  right  place,  every  one 
agrees.  General  John  Stark,  who  so  distinguished  himself  in  the  French 
war,  has  won  commendation  by  the  part  he  has  played  this  year.  At  the 
alarm  of  war  he  hastily  formed  a  regiment  in  New  Hampshire  and  marched 
immediately  for  our  camp  ;  figured  bravely  at  Bunker  Hill,  and,  with  his  im- 
petuous nature  boiling  for  action,  he  has  been  on  tiptoe  for  battle  ever  since. 
He  looks  much  like  an  Indian  with  his  high  cheek-bones  and  prominent 
nose,  and  tall,  erect  figure,  and  his  soul  is  as  full  of  courage  and  as  impa- 
tient of  restraint  as  that  of  any  wild  son  of  the  forest.  His  wife,  Molly 
Stark,  as  he  familiarly  calls  her,  followed  her  husband  to  camp,  and  when 
our  troops  occupied  Dorchester  Heights,  at  his  desire  she  mounted  a  horse 
to  watch  the  passage  of  his  regiment  over  the  river  to  West  Boston,  and 
to  be  ready  at  a  moment's  notice  to  spread  the  alarm,  if  opposition  arose. 
Are  they  not  a  well-mated  pair  ?  General  Sullivan  is  a  popular  officer,  a 
good  soldier,  and  a  pleasant  gentleman.  His  quarters  were  at  Winter  Hill. 
I  might  go  on  and  enumerate  officers  who  hold  honorable  places  in  the  ser- 
vices, Preble,  Heath,  Patterson,  Arnold,  Gates,  and  others,  not  as  well 
known  ;  but  I  fear  you  will  tire  of  the  list. 

I  thank  you  for  your  pleasant  pictures  of  Philadelphia  life  and  sketches  of 
the  prominent  figures  there.  Some  of  your  great  men  belong  to  us.  The 
venerable  Franklin,  the  two  Adamses,  and  your  excellent  President  of  Con- 
gress, we  claim  by  right  of  birth.  The  patriot  Sam  Adams,  the  "  stirrer  up 
of  the  Revolution,"  with  his  nervous  energy  of  tongue  and  pen,  his  wit  and 
sarcasm,  his  dignity  and  integrity  and  magnanimity,  is  second  to  no  one  in 
the  weight  of  his  influence.  His  tall,  graceful  figure  and  courteous  bearing 
are  very  familiar  to  Boston  people,  as  are  also  the  features  and  character  of 
John  Hancock. 

Our  winter  has  been  a  very  quiet  one,  but  little  disturbed  by  the  roar  of 
cannon  and  the  terrors  of  bloodshed.  But  few  dinner  parties  or  receptions 
have  broken  the  monotony.  I  have  been  twice  to  Major  Mifflin's  ;  once  in 
December  to  meet  Mrs.  John  Adams  ;  again  in  January,  when  her  husband 


Letter  to  Miss  Livingstone.  69 

was  present.  Mrs.  Adams  I  cannot  enough  admire.  There  is  evidence  of 
a  mind  of  uncommon  clearness,  sharpened  by  reading  and  study,  and  a  heart 
warm  and  true,  while  her  graceful  accomplishments  make  her  a  lady  of  more 
than  common  attractions.  Her  husband  you  know.  They  seem  to  be  ad- 
mirably suited  to  one  another.  Mrs.  Washington  held  a  levee  in  January 
and  I  was  honored  with  an  invitation.  Colonel  Vassall's  house  is  perhaps 
the  most  elegant  and  spacious  in  New  England,1  and  the  reception  was 
everything  one  could  wish.  No  display,  no  extravagance  ;  but  simple  taste 
suited  to  the  time  of  universal  economy,  characterized  all  the  arrangements. 
The  magnificent  rooms,  elaborately  carved  and  panelled,  are  becomingly  fur- 
nished, though  I  believe  the  whole  house  is  not  in  common  use. 

Mrs.  Morgan,  wife  of  Dr.  Morgan,  who  is  in  traitor  Church's  place  as 
director-general  of  the  hospital,  Mrs.  Mifflin,  Mrs.  Remington,  Mrs.  Custis, 
Mrs.  Gates,  Mrs.  Trowbridge,  Mrs.  Appleton  and  her  daughters,  Mrs.  Mc- 
Henry,  Mrs.  Wigglesworth,  Mrs.  Hastings  and  Miss  Rebecca  Hastings,  and 
many  others  whom  you  do  not  know,  were  there.  Several  officers  were  also 
present.  It  was  much  like  the  companies  at  Major  Mifflin's,  in  numbers,  and 
many  of  the  faces  were  the  same. 

The  event  of  the  spring,  the  joy  which  has  crowned  the  patient  waiting  of 
the  winter,  is  the  evacuation  of  Boston  by  General  Sir  William  Howe  and  his 
Majesty's  troops.  It  was  accomplished  with  so  little  bloodshed  that  we  have 
deep  cause  for  gratitude.  Among  the  throng  who  greeted  Washington  on 
his  triumphant  entry  to  the  town,  March  i8th,  there  were  none  in  sorrow  for 
the  loss  of  dear  friends.  There  have  been  less  than  two  hundred  American 
lives  lost  in  battle  during  all  the  months  that  British  and  New  England 
armies  have  been  confronting  one  another,  and  now  our  Colony,  we  hope  and 
believe,  is  freed  from  the  incubus  that  has  weighed  upon  her  so  long,  and  it 
only  remains  to  push  from  the  harbor  all  remnants  of  the  British  navy,  to 
be  once  more  at  liberty  to  breathe.  You  cannot  know  what  a  relief  it  is  to  be 
able  to  go  and  come,  feeling  sure  that  the  Redcoats  are  at  a  distance,  and  not 
likely  to  burden  us  again  with  their  presence.  Boston  is  not  injured  nearly 
as  much  as  was  feared,  owing  to  the  orders  of  General  Howe,  who  allowed 
no  plundering  unless  the  necessities  of  the  army  called  for  it,  and  whose 
orders  were  so  strict  as  to  punish  with  death  any  disobedience  of  this  com- 
mand. The  soldiers  were  obliged  to  pay  due  attention  to  dress,  and  to 
never  appear  at  parade  "  without  having  the  hair  properly  and  smoothly 
clubbed."-  The  officers  must  wear  sashes  on  duty,  and  none  were  to  ap- 
pear under  arms  with  tobacco  in  their  mouths.  This  one  of  General  Howe's 
orders  gives  us  a  little  glimpse  of  life  in  the  British  camp.  "  The  com- 
manding officer  is  surprised  to  find  the  necessity  of  repeating  orders,  that 
long  since  ought  to  have  been  complied  with,  as  the  men  on  all  duties  ap- 
pear in  the  following  manner,  viz :  hair  not  smooth  and  badly  powdered, 
several  without  slings  to  their  firelocks,  hats  not  bound,  pouches  in  a  shame- 

1  It  is  evident  that  Miss  Dudley  had  not  seen  the  Pepperell  and  Sparhawk  houses  at  Kittery.  —  ED. 


/o  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dudley. 

ful  and  dirty  condition,  no  frills  to  their  shirts,  and  their  linen  very  dirty, 
leggings  hanging  in  a  slovenly  manner  about  their  knees,  some  men  without 
uniform  stocks,  and  their  arms  and  accoutrements  by  no  means  so  clean  as 
they  ought  to  be.  These  unsoldierlike  neglects  must  be  immediately  rem- 
edied." 

I  have  been  spending  a  few  days  in  Boston  with  Mrs  Elwyn,  and  drove 
about  the  town  to  look  at  the  changes  which  have  gone  on  under  the  British 
rule.  The  North  End  is  very  interesting  to  me  as  the  place  where  many 
plans  for  the  furtherance  of  American  liberty  were  hatched.  Paul  Revere 
and  Joseph  Warren  and  James  Otis  lived  in  that  quarter.  At  Copp's  Hill 
we  drove  up  to  the  cemetery  just  as  a  funeral  procession  was  winding  its 
way  into  the  enclosure.  It  was  that  of  a  man  in  the  prime  of  life,  as  we 
learned  afterwards,  a  Mr.  John  Williston,  who  died  from  the  effects  of 
privations  during  the  siege.  Dr.  Mather  Byles,  who  has  been  pastor  of 
Hollis  Street  Church  for  more  than  forty  years,  made  a  prayer  at  the  grave, 
and  Robert  Newman,  the  sexton  of  Christ  Church,  was  in  attendance.  Re- 
membering your  passion  for  epitaphs,  I  copied  several  from  the  grave-stones, 
some  of  them  black  with  age.  Here  is  one  :  — 

"Time,  what  an  empty  vapor  'tis, 
And  days,  how  swift  they  fley ! 
Our  life  is  ever  on  the  wing, 

And  death  is  ever  nigh. 

The  moment  when  our  lives  begin, 

We  all  begin  to  die." 

Here  is  another  from  a  stone  more  than  half  a  century  old  :  "  Life's  little 
stage  is  a  small  eminence,  inch  high,  the  grave  above  —  that  home  of  man 
where  dwells  the  multitude.  We  gaze  around,  we  read  their  monuments, 
we  sigh  ;  and  while  we  sigh,  we  sink,  and  are  what  we  deplore."  These 
lines  were  on  an  old  monument  without  name  or  date,  and  it  was  with  dif- 
ficulty I  could  decipher  the  words  :  — 

"What  is't  fond  mortal  yt  thou  would'st  obtain 
By  spinning  out  a  painful  life  of  cares  ; 
Thou  livest  to  act  thy  childhood  o're  again, 
And  naught  intends  but  grief  and  seeing  years. 
Who  leaves  this  world  like  me,  just  in  my  prime, 
Speeds  all  my  business  in  a  *  *  *  time." 

I  paused  at  a  little  grave,  my  eye  caught  by  my  own  name,  Dorothy,  and 
read  on  the  sunken,  aged  stone,  that 

DORYTHY  GREENOUGH 
AGED  4  YEARS  &  8  MONTHS 
DYED  YE  20  OCTOBER  1667. 

You  have  heard  of  Dr.  Byles,  who  is  so  distinguished  for  his  wit  and  wis- 
dom. He  is  a  descendant  of  Richard  Mather  and  John  Cotton.  His  son, 
Mather  Byles,  Jr.,  rector  of  Christ  Church,  was  so  determined  a  royalist  that 


Dr.  Byles  and  his  Preaching.  71 

he  left  his  flock  and  sailed  for  Halifax  with  the  King's  troops.  The  old 
Doctor  was  very  non-committal  in  politics,  rarely  mentioning  them,  and 
never  introducing  the  subject  in  the  pulpit.  When  asked  why  he  so  stead- 
fastly avoided  it,  he  said  :  "  I  have  thrown  up  four  breastworks,  behind 
which  I  have  entrenched  myself,  neither  of  which  can  be  enforced.  In  the 
first  place,  I  do  not  understand  politics  ;  in  the  second  place,  you  all  do, 
every  man  and  mother's  son  of  you  ;  in  the  third  place,  you  have  politics  all 
the  week,  pray  let  one  day  in  seven  be  devoted  to  religion  ;  in  the  fourth 
place,  I  am  engaged  in  work  of  infinitely  greater  importance  ;  give  me  any 
subject  to  preach  on  of  more  consequence  than  the  truth  I  bring  to  you, 
and  I  will  preach  on  it,  the  next  Sabbath." 

His  preaching  is  very  effective,  savoring  of  earnestness  and  sincerity,  and 
filled  with  the  truth  of  the  Gospel.  His  manner,  too,  is  attractive,  and  his 
voice  powerful  and  melodious.  Out  of  the  pulpit  he  is  brimming  over  with 
fun,  never  at  a  loss  for  a  repartee,  and  quick  to  see  the  ludicrous.  It  is 
said  that  in  his  young  days  he  made  advances  to  a  lady  who  refused  to  favor 
his  suit.  Afterwards  she  married  a  Mr.  Quincy,  and  Dr.  Byles,  the  next 
time  he  saw  her,  remarked  :  "  So,  madam,  it  appears  that  you  prefer  a 
Quincy  to  Byles."  "  Yes,"  she  replied,  "  for  if  there  had  been  anything 
worse  than  biles,  God  would  have  afflicted  Job  with  them."  At  one  time, 
the  road  in  front  of  his  house  was  in  a  very  bad  condition,  so  that  in  wet 
weather  the  mud  was  much  like  the  slough  we  read  about  in  Bunyan's 
"  Pilgrim's  Progress."  All  his  efforts  to  arouse  the  town  government  to 
remedy  the  trouble  were  without  success.  One  day,  two  of  the  selectmen, 
the  very  ones  who  had  charge  of  the  streets,  in  riding  past  the  house,  found 
themselves  stuck  in  the  mud,  and  were  obliged  to  alight  from  the  carriage  to 
extricate  it  from  the  slough.  As  they  did  so,  the  tall,  commanding  figure  of 
Dr.  Byles  appeared  before  them,  and  bowing  gracefully  and  respectfully,  he 
said  :  "  Gentlemen,  I  have  often  complained  to  you  of  this  nuisance,  without 
any  attention  being  paid  to  it,  and  I  am  very  glad  to  see  you  stirring  in  this 
matter  now."  The  good  old  Doctor  has  made  many  an  enemy  by  his  un- 
sparing sarcasm,  which  he  cannot  forbear  using,  even  if  it  cuts  its  victim 
to  the  quick.  His  family  are  determined  loyalists,  every  one  ;  and  public 
opinion  says,  if  Dr.  Mather  Byles  did  not  close  his  mouth  so  tight,  in 
political  matters,  Tory  principles  would  be  sure  to  find  utterance. 

Dr.  Byles  is  a  poet  of  no  mean  fame,  having  written  many  verses  of  both 
a  serious  and  trifling  nature.  On  one  occasion  Governor  Belcher,  who  was 
a  warm  friend  and  admirer  of  the  Doctor's,  invited  him  to  visit  the  Province 
of  Maine  in  his  company.  Doctor  Byles  declined,  but  the  Governor,  noth- 
ing daunted  by  the  refusal,  set  himself  to  work  to  devise  some  way  of  secur- 
ing the  wished-for  pleasure.  He  persuaded  the  punning  parson x  to  take 

1  Dr.Byles's  humor  is  celebrated  in  a  poetical  account  of  the  clergy  of  Boston,  quoted  by  Mr.  Samuel 
Kettell,  in  his  Specimens  of  A  merican  Poetry :  — 

"  There's  punning  Byles,  provokes  our  smiles, 
A  man  of  stately  parts ; 


72  Extracts  front  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dudley. 

tea,  one  Sabbath  afternoon,  on  board  the  Scarborough  ship-of-war,  and  as 
the  friends  were  cosily  seated  at  table,  engaged  in  conversation  and  quaffing 
fragrant  draughts  of  steaming  hyson,  slowly  but  surely  the  ship  was  carry- 
ing them  out  to  sea.  When  the  Doctor  discovered  the  stratagem,  he  resigned 
himself  to  the  voyage  with  a  very  good  grace.  The  next  Sabbath,  in  lack  of 
a  suitable  hymn  for  service  at  sea,  he  composed  a  very  excellent  one,  the 
first  stanza  of  which  I  remember  :  — 

"  Great  God,  thy  works  our  wonder  raise ; 

To  thee  our  swelling  notes  belong ; 
While  skies,  and  winds,  and  rocks,  and  seas, 
Around  shall  echo  to  our  song." 

Almost  every  Tory  has  taken  his  departure  from  Boston  with  the  British 
soldiers.  There  are  none  to  be  seen  in  the  streets  in  this  time  of  general 
thanksgiving,  and  except  for  the  manifest  signs  of  suffering  consequent  upon 
the  reign  of  war,  the  town  looks  as  in  the  far  away  days  of  peace. 

April  2O/A.  —  If  you  were  with  me  this  lovely  spring  day  we  would  per- 
suade Tony  Vassall,  the  quondam  coachman  of  Mrs.  Penelope  Vassall,  to 
drive  us  about  the  town.  It  seems  very  lonely  since  the  tents  have  disap- 
peared,, and  with  them  the  soldiers  whose  busy  life  was  incorporated  with 
our  own  for  nearly  a  twelve-month.  Since  you  cannot  see  Cambridge  as 
it  looks  to-day,  let  my  eyes  do  service  instead,  and,  if  you  enlist  your  imag- 
ination, perhaps  you  will  be  able  to  discern  the  picture,  First,  you  must 
look  at  our  college  halls,  now  vacant.  They  rear  their  walls  of  brick  as 
proudly  as  if  conscious  of  their  importance  to  the  world  of  letters.  You 
know  they  did  good  service  during  the  last  year,  sheltering  nearly  two 
thousand  soldiers  from  the  snows  and  blows  of  winter.  We  will  let  Tony 
drive  us  slowly  past  the  meeting-house,  where  Dr.  Nathaniel  Appleton 
has  preached  for  twenty  years,  and  for  nearly  forty  years  previous  in  the 
old  meeting-house,  of  which  this  takes  the  place.  Dr.  Increase  Mather 
preached  his  installation  sermon,  and  Dr.  Cotton  Mather  extended  the  right 
hand  of  fellowship.  The  good  Doctor  has  lived  for  more  than  fourscore 
years,  and  we  fear  he  must  leave  us  before  long.  Here  the  first  Pro- 
vincial Congress  of  Massachusetts  was  held,  until  adjourned  to  Watertown, 
and  here  for  many  years  the  College  Commencements  were  celebrated  in 
midsummer.  Look  across  the  road  to  the  court-house,  which  lifts  its 
tower  high  in  the  air  as  a  warning,  perhaps,  to  miscreants.  We  turn  the 
corner,  past  the  stately  tree  which  for  years  has  outstretched  its  sheltering 
arms  over  the  heads  of  passing  man  and  beasts,  and  come  abruptly  upon 

He  visits  folks  to  crack  his  jokes, 
Which  never  mend  their  hearts. 

"  With  strutting  gait,  and  wig  so  great, 

He  walks  along  the  streets, 
And  throws  out  wit,  or  what 's  like  it, 
To  every  one  he  meets."  —  ED. 


74  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dtidley. 

the  president's  house,  which  has  harbored  all  the  revered  men  who  stood 
at  the  head  of  the  College  Faculty  since  President  Wadsworth.  Riding 
slowly  toward  the  south  we  come  next  to  Professor  Wigglesworth's  house, 
which  is  very  old,  having  been  built,  I  have  heard,  by  old  President  Lev- 
erett,  before  this  century  came  in.  The  worthy  professor  is  a  great  student, 
as  was  his  father,  the  first  Hollis  Professor  of  Divinity  in  the  college,  and,  in 
proof  of  this,  there  is  a  hole  worn  through  the  floor  by  their  feet  under  the 
desk  of  the  room  used,  by  father  and  son,  as  a  study.  Next  to  this  interest- 
ing house  is  the  old  parsonage,  which  has  stood  for  a  hundred  years  ;  the 
residence  of  Dr.  Urian  Oakes,  who  was  not  only  pastor  of  the  church,  but 
college  president  as  well  ;  of  Rev.  Nathaniel  Gookin  and  Rev.  William 
Brattle,  as  well  as  our  present  beloved  and  aged  pastor,  Dr.  Appleton. 
This  venerable  house  has  undergone  some  repairs  which  have  materially 
altered  its  appearance  and  freshened  its  life.  Long  may  it  stand  as  a  re- 
minder of  the  lives  of  the  holy  men  who  have  done  so  much  for  Cambridge 
by  their  influence  and  their  labors. 

Now  Tony  will  turn  the  horse's  head  toward  the  right  and  we  will  ride 
down  to  Butler's  Hill,  past  Mr.  Dana's  house,  which  is  a  noble  mansion  set 
in  the  midst  of  orchards  and  grounds  which  are  finely  cultivated.  Further 
down  we  come  to  Mr.  Inman's  estate,  which,  since  the  departure  of  the 
soldiers,  has  been  occupied  by  two  ladies,  one  of  them  Miss  Betsey  Murray, 
a  niece  of  Mrs.  Inman's,  though  the  fact  of  her  being  there  is  a  secret, 
known  only  to  a  few.  Mr.  Ralph  Inman  you  have  often  heard  of  as  one  of 
the  aristocrats  of  our  town,  and  members  of  Christ  Church.  Mrs.  Inman 
is  really  a  remarkable  woman.  She  belongs  to  the  Murray  family,  which 
proudly  dates  back  to  the  Norman  conquest  in  England,  and  claims  kindred 
blood  with  the  Philiphaugh  family  of  Murrays  in  Selkirkshire.  She  is  a 
stanch  Scotch  woman,  and  has  the  energy  of  character  and  charming 
frankness  and  honesty  so  common  to  that  people.  She  has  crossed  the 
ocean  many  times  in  company  with  her  brother,  Mr.  James  Murray,  a  gen- 
tleman of  upright  character  and  great  success  as  a  merchant.  She  has 
been  three  times  married  ;  to  Mr.  Inman  about  five  years  since.  When  she 
was  Elizabeth  Murray,  I  have  been  told  that  she  carried  on  business  in  a 
shop,  corner  of  Queen  Street  and  Cornhill  in  Boston,  and  made  for  herself 
a  very  comfortable  income,  and  during  her  first  two  marriages  she  contin- 
ued the  business,  and  still  owns  the  building.  Her  property,  acquired  by 
her  own  exertions,  is  considerable,  and  her  husband,  Mr.  Smith,  left  her  his 
whole  estate,  so  that  she  has  had  all  the  comforts  and  luxuries  of  wealth. 
She  is  classed  among  the  Tories  because  of  her  associations  with  the  Brit- 
ish officers  of  government,  her  husband,  Mr.  Inman,  having  been  an  ad- 
dresser to  General  Gage  last  year.  Her  education  and  social  advantages 
have  united  to  make  her  a  most  delightful  companion,  and  one  whose  pres- 
ence was  eagerly  sought.  She  has  remained  in  this  vicinity  during  all  the 
troubles,  though  Mr.  Inman  fled  into  Boston,  and  owing  to  her  acquaintance 


The  Inman  House.  7.5 

with  General  Putnam,  Major  Mifflin,  and  others  among  our  officers,  has  been 
secured  from  molestation  by  our  soldiers.  I  heard  to-day  that  General  Put- 
nam deputed  his  son  to  remain  in  Cambridge  on  the  day  of  Bunker  Hill 
battle,  to  guard  Mrs.  Inman  —  a  proof  certainly  of  the  high  regard  he  en- 
tertained for  her. 

The  house  is  large  and  elegant  in  its  appointments,  but  now  the  air  of 
carelessness  which  is  visible  around  the  place  is  very  sad.  Barracks  dis- 
figure the  eastern  border  of  the  grounds,  and  here  and  there  we  come  upon 
traces  of  soldiers'  life.  Everywhere  in  our  ride  we  see  the  evidences  of 
war.  Cambridge  lines  stretch  themselves  from  Butler's  Hill  to  the  river,  and 
forts  are  plentifully  sprinkled  over  the  town  for  our  protection.  Turning 
our  house  around  (for  at  Mr.  Inman's  farm  we  find  ourselves  at  the  limit  of 
civilization  in  Cambridge),  we  drive  back  to  Butler's  Hill.  On  this  eminence 
you  can  have  a  good  view  of  our  fortified  town.  Do  you  see  that  redoubt  at 
our  left,  just  at  the  bend  of  the  river  ?  That  is  Fort  Number  One.1  We 
would  drive  around  by  it  and  follow  the  course  of  the  river  to  the  causeway 
from  Boston,  if  the  road  was  sufficiently  travelled  to  render  it  pleasant  rid- 
ing. But  only  heavy  country  wagons  laden  with  produce  ever  come  into 
this  part  of  our  village.  So  Tony  gives  the  pony  a  smart  touch  with  the 
whip,  and  soon  we  are  in  front  of  Colonel  Phipps's  handsome  house  whose 
grounds  extend  down  to  the  river.  Colonel  David  Phipps  is  a  brother,  you 
know,  of  Mrs.  Vassall,  Mrs.  Lee,  Mrs.  Lechmere,  and  Mrs.  Boardman.  His 
house  was  taken  last  spring  when  he  left  the  town  for  Boston,  and  was  used 
as  a  hospital  during  the  summer.  Look  at  those  wooden  Indians  standing 
guard  upon  the  gate  posts,  barbarous  in  dress  and  expression,  deliberately 
taking  aim  with  unerring  arrow  at  the  heads  of  unwelcome  guests.  They 
are  a  source  of  terror  to  many  childish  minds,  believing,  as  they  do,  that 
these  savage  sentinels  are  specially  devoted  to  the  destruction  of  naughty 
children  ;  and  the  road  past  their  domain  is  traversed  by  flying  feet  when 
necessity  makes  it  a  road  to  duty. 

Pursuing  our  journey,  we  pass  the  house  some  people  say  President  Dun- 
ster  occupied  at  one  time,  though  he  lived,  I  believe,  in  the  old  college 
house  in  the  college  yard  during  most  of  his  presidency  ;  through  the 
square  to  Judge  Remington's  house,  past  the  jail  and  the  jailer's  house  to 
the  road  which  is  the  thoroughfare  from  Boston.  Looking  down  toward  the 
river  you  see  the  tavern  kept  by  Ebenezer  Bradish,  so  popular  an  inn  par- 
ticularly at  Commencement  seasons,  and  which  the  students  were  wont  to 
patronize  so  freely.  Here  we  are  at  the  borders  of  the  Brattle  grounds, 
which  are  unique  in  their  elegance,  and  which  by  the  departure  of  both  father 
and  son  are  left  to  be  used  by  our  government.  They  extend  down  to  the 
river,  and  toward  the  west  to  the  estate  of  the  Widow  Vassall.  A  private 
driveway  leads  up  to  the  substantial  house  which  stands  as  sentinel  in  the 
centre  of  the  grounds.  We  will  turn  to  the  right  and  pass  again  the  court- 

1  Present  site  of  The  Riverside  Press.  —  ED. 


76 


Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dudley. 


house,  and  meeting-house,  old  Massachusetts,  Stoughton,  and  Harvard,  little 
Holden  Chapel,  and  Hollis  halls,  till  we  reach  the  gambrel-roofed  house,1 
which  shields  itself  behind  a  row  of  Lombardy  poplars,  at  the  further  limits 
of  the  college  green,  beyond  the  road  to  Charlestown.  This  is  Mr.  Has- 
tings's  house,  famous  as  the  head-quarters  of  the  Committee  of  Safety,  and 
honored  often  by  the  presence  of  Washington  during  his  residence  in  Cam- 
bridge. On  the  opposite  side  pf  the  Common  we  see  the  magnificent  wide- 
spreading  elm  immortalized  by  our  Commander-in-chief,  when,  standing  be- 
neath its  shade  the  third  day  of  last  July,  he  formally  assumed  the  command 
of  all  the  troops  of  the  Colonies.  In  a  line  with  this  giant  tree  stand  two 
others  which  for  a  century  and  more  have  been  silent  witnesses  of  the  life  of 
the  village.  These  three  venerable  elms  saw  the  uprising  of  the  old  wooden 


HOLDEN   CHAPEL. 

building  where  gathered  the  nucleus  of  Harvard  College  ;  they  heard  the 
ringing  of  the  desecrating  axe  as  it  laid  low  many  of  their  companions  of  the 
forest,  and  looked  on,  as  the  seminary,  growing  in  proportions  as  in  years, 
added,  one  by  one,  the  more  imposing  structures  which  now  stand  within  the 
college  yard.  How  many  stories  they  could  tell  us,  were  their  long  silence 
to  be  broken,  of  the  men  of  the  past  who  have  walked  beneath  their  shade, 
and  how  many  secrets  would  be  unlocked  to  us  which  will  never  be  recorded 
on  history's  page  !  Beneath  one  of  them,  the  next  neighbor  to  the  Wash- 
ington elm,  stood  Rev.  George  Whitefield,2  I  am  told,  when,  thirty  years 

1  The  Holmes  house.  —  ED. 

2  This  tree,  afterwards  known  as  the  Whitefield  elm,  was  destroyed  a  few  years  ago  by  the  city  au. 
thorities  because  it  was  considered  an  interruption  to  the  travel  on  Garden  Street.    A  respite  of  a  few 
years  had  been  granted  it  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  some  to  whom  the  monarchs  of  the  "  forest 


The   Whitefield  Elm.  77 

ago,  he  visited  Cambridge  and  preached  to  the  students  of  Harvard. 
How  the  venerable  tree  must  have  echoed  with  the  eloquence  of  the 
gifted  preacher,  as  with  burning  words  he  pleaded  with  his  hearers  who 
thronged  the  Common,  beseeching  them  for  Christ's  sake  to  be  reconciled 
to  God.  North  of  the  Hastings  house  lived  Mr.  Moses  Richardson,  one 
of  the  three  brave  men  who  were  killed  one  year  ago  to-day  and  were  so 
hastily  buried  in  the  rude  grave  within  the  old  cemetery.  Dr.  Warren  lit- 
tle thought,  when  with  sympathizing  words  he  promised  a  better  burial  to 
them,  to  soothe  the  grief-stricken 'friends,  that  he  himself  would  so  soon  lie 
low,  away  from  the  terrors  and  trials  of  earth.  Some  time  we  hope  to  raise 
a  stone  to  commemorate  their  patriotism  and  heroic  death.  Further  up 
the  road  to  Menotomy  lives  Captain  Walton  of  the  militia,  whose  com- 
pany was  out,  of  course,  on  that  day  of  terror.  Tony  himself  has  a  snug 
little  home  on  this  road,  where  with  his  wife,  Lucy,  and  Darby  his  wide- 
awake seven-year-old,  he  has  lived  since  the  flight  of  his  mistress.  But 
few  houses  are  scattered  along  this  road.  Mr.  Frost's  house,  a  good  way 
beyond,  sheltered  a  number  of  soldiers  while  the  army  was  stationed  in 
Cambridge.  He,  I  believe,  built  the  house  which  Rev.  Mr.  Serjeant,  rector 
of  Christ  Church,  occupied  for  a  time,  and  which  we  are  passing  now  in 
going  from  Menotomy  Road  to  Christ  Church.  Let  us  ride  further,  for  I 
would  like  you  to  see  Church  Row,  or  Tory  Row,  as  latterly  it  has  been 
called.  The  Brattle  estate  we  touch,  on  its  western  border,  as  we  ride  past, 
Widow  Vassall's  on  our  left  and  Colonel  John  Vassall's  on  our  right.  I 
mention  these  houses  by  the  names  of  their  Tory  owners,  but  in  reality  they 
have  passed  from  their  hands  and  are  now  used  by  our  government.  Gen- 
eral Washington  has  a  glorious  view  from  his  windows  in  the  magnificent 
house  of  his  choice.  The  blue  hills  stretch  their  hazy  length  for  several 
miles  along  the  opposite  shore  of  the  river.  To-day  the  sun  lights  up  the 
dimpling  stream  with  numberless  diamond  flashes,  and  over  the  whole  land- 
scape he  has  thrown  a  bright  halo  of  glory.  Next  above  our  General's  head- 
primeval  "  are  dear,  and  the  feeling  of  regret  and  almost  of  indignation  at  its  final  sacrifice  was  exten- 
sive. This  sentiment  found  expression  in  some  lines  attributed  to  the  Rev.  Nicholas  Hoppin,  D.  D., 
for  many  years  rector  of  Christ  Church,  two  of  which  are  appended.  —  ED. 
"  Thy  room  was  wanted,  huge  old  Elm, 
Magnate  of  Nature's  realm  ! 

Thou  hast  stood  forth  too  long, 
Putting  thy  pillared  strength 

Our  rattling  courts  among; 
And  thou  hast  met  thy  doom  at  length, 

Deserving  a  lament  in  nobler  song ! 

"  Down,  then,  with  thy  enormous  bulk, 

Thy  crazed  unwieldly  hulk ! 
This  time  of  rushing  haste 

Will  not  abide  the  old ; 
Has  not  a  thought  to  waste 

On  bygone  memories  idly  told, 
Nor  brooks  one  obstacle  from  age  misplaced." 


78  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dudley. 

quarters  we  come  to  the  sometime  residence  of  Judge  Richard  Lechmere,* 
and  later  of  Judge  Jonathan  Sewall,  both  aristocrats  and  Tories,  who  left 
town  some  time  ago.  The  Phipps  farm,  which  comprises  the  eastern  part  of 
Cambridge,  passed  into  the  hands  of  Judge  Lechmere  on  his  marriage  with 
Miss  Phipps,  and  it  is  known  often  as  Lechmere's  Point,  celebrated  as  the 
place  of  landing  of  the  Redcoats  under  Pitcairn  and  Smith,  as  intent  on  an 
errand  of  destruction  they  left  Boston  one  year  ago  last  night.  Judge  Sewall 
is  a  genial,  upright  gentleman  —  an  intimate  friend  of  our  own  John  Adams, 
though  Jonathan  and  John  have  politically  walked  far  apart  of  late.  Judge 
Sewall  is  now  in  England.  The  house  is  one  of  the  best  on  this  highway, 
which  has  none  but  elegant  mansions  to  grace  its  borders.  The  limits  of  the 


THE  SEWALL-RIEDESEL  MANSION,  BEFORE  ITS  ALTERATION. 

Sewall  estate  bring  us  to  Judge  Joseph  Lee's,  where  the  courteous  and  affa- 
ble gentleman  still  lives.  Though  forced  to  resign  his  position  as  councillor 
in  the  troubles  of  September,  1774,  he  was  allowed  to  remain  in  his  home, 
provided  he  would  not  interfere  in  politics.  This  he  readily  promised,  and 
thus  retains  the  noble  house  which  he  has  owned  for  nearly  twenty  years. 
It  is  very  old,  but  substantial  in  its  building,  looking  as  if  it  would  outlive 
many  of  the  younger  houses  which  are  hastily  erected  in  this  generation. 
He  bought  it,  I  have  heard,  of  the  widow  of  Cornelius  Waldo  and  on  a  win- 
dow pane  is  found,  scratched  with  a  diamond,  the  name  of  Daniel  Waldo 
(Rev.).  The  frame  of  this  mansion  was  brought  from  England,  not  be- 
cause Massachusetts  had  no  trees,  but  because  it  was  feared  that  capable 
workmen  could  not  be  found  to  put  it  together  to  suit  the  fastidious  taste  of 
its  owner.  The  walls  are  of  double  thickness,  every  room  being  shut  off 
from  the  one  adjoining,  by  a  space  of  perhaps  a  foot,  enclosed  by  two  solid 
walls,  so  that  voices  can  never  be  heard  in  the  next  room  unless  a  door  is 
open.  Judge  Lee  is  highly  respected  as  an  honorable  man,  true  to  his  prin- 
ciples, warm  in  his  friendships,  and  genial  and  kindly  in  manner.  In  my 

1  This  house  was  occupied  subsequently,  also,  by  Madame  Riedesel,  and  is  now  the  property  of  Mr. 
John  Brewster.  —  ED. 


Mr.  Lowell's  House.  79 

childish  days  I  used  occasionally  to  visit  at  his  house,  and  my  eyes  always 
found  a  world  of  pleasure  to  explore  in  the  pleasant  rooms  hung  with  land- 
scape paper  and  well  stocked  with  pictures  and  ornaments,  while  the  wide 
window  seats  afforded  a  resting-place  for  me  to  view  the  surrounding  land- 
scape. I  remember  with  especial  pleasure  a  complete  set  of  linen  cover- 
ings on  the  furniture  and  bed  in  an  upper  chamber.  The  gay  figures  of 
birds  perched  upon  trees  scarcely  larger  than  themselves,  the  tempting 
strawberries  corresponding  in  size  to  the  plants  by  their  side,  the  dogs  and 
deer,  and  animals  I  could  find  no  names  for,  all  worked  in  gorgeous  colored 
worsteds  by  the  aristocratic  fingers  of  Mrs.  Lee,  these  had  a  peculiar  fasci- 
nation for  me. 

Next  in  our  ride  we  come  to  a  large  square  mansion,  formerly  the  resi- 
dence of  Mr.  George  Ruggles,  which  he  left  in  affright  after  the  war  began, 
and  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  road  stands  the  house  of  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor  Oliver.1  We  will  drive  up  the  broad  carriage  road  and  alight  at  the 
door.  This  lordly  house  is  surrounded  by  a  grove  of  noble  elms  and  pines, 
and  by  wide  lawns  which  are  growing  green  with  the  touch  of  spring.  The 
interior  is  in  keeping  with  its  outward  appearance,  grand  in  proportions,  re- 
minding one  of  the  generous  and  kindly  nature  of  its  proprietor.  Of  course 
we  do  not  find  it  as  in  the  days  of  his  ownership,  for  soldiers'  feet  have  trod 
its  halls  and  sick  men's  moans  have  been  heard  in  its  chambers  since  the 
departure  of  our  last  royal  lieutenant-governor.  Its  hospital  uses  interfered 
in  some  measure,  of  course,  with  the  elegance  of  its  former  state.  Governor 
Oliver  was  appointed  successor  to  Andrew  Oliver  the  unpopular  lieutenant- 
governor  who  died  in  March,  1774,  and  was  also  president  of  the  council  of 
Massachusetts,  but  owing  to  the  troublous  times  and  the  manner  of  his  ap- 
pointment as  councillor,  became  so  obnoxious  to  the  people  that  he  was 
forced  to  resign  September  2d,  only  a  few  months  after  entering  upon  his 
duties.  A  mob  surrounded  his  house  and  presented  him  with  a  written  docu- 
ment to  which  they  demanded  his  signature.  Persistently  he  refused,  until 
their  fury  became  such  as  to  endanger  his  life  and  the  safety  of  his  family. 
Then  he  took  the  paper,  and  hastily  casting  his  eyes  over  its  contents,  which 
was  a  formal  resignation  of  his  office,  he  wrote  these  words  :  "  My  house  at 
Cambridge  being  surrounded  by  four  thousand  people,  in  compliance  with 
their  commands,  I  sign  my  name,  Thomas  Oliver."  Immediately  after  this 
he  left  his  Cambridge  home  and  never  returned.  The  field  opposite  Colonel 
Oliver's  and  Captain  Ruggles's  estates  is  used  as  a  burying-ground  for  the 
brave  men  who  had  been  wounded  at  Bunker  Hill  and  died  in  the  two 
neighboring  houses.  We  are  now  in  Watertown.  Shall  we  ride  still  further 
or  shall  Tony  turn  the  horse  and  drive  us  home  again  ?  You  have  seen  a 
good  deal  of  our  beautiful  town  by  proxy,  and  I  hope  it  will  not  be  long  be- 

1  This  estate  is  now  the  property  of  Mr.  James  Russell  Lowell.  The  house  was  built  by  Thomas 
Oliver,  between  1763  and  1767.  —  ED. 


8o  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dudley. 

fore  you  see  it  with  your  own  eyes.     Till  then,  dearest  Esther,  believe  me, 
with  tenderest  affection,  your  very  sincere  friend, 

DOROTHY  DUDLEY. 

May  gth.  —  Dr.  Church  and  his  friends  have  sent  a  petition  to  Congress 
for  his  release  from  prison,  as  his  health  is  suffering.  The  plea  is  granted, 
only  on  condition  that  he  give  his  word  of  honor,  with  sureties  of  one  thou- 
sand pounds,  that  he  will  not  hold  any  correspondence  with  the  enemy,  and 
that  he  be  brought  to  Massachusetts  to  be  in  charge  of  the  council  of  this 
Colony,  and  not  privileged  to  go  out  of  its  limits  without  a  license. 

May  ijth.  —  Fast  day,  by  resolution  of  Congress.  Dr.  Appleton  preached 
to  us  this  morning  a  faithful  and  patriotic,  sermon.  This  evening  news 
comes  to  us  of  the  capture  of  one  of  the  British  transport  ships,  Hope, 
(isn't  it  a  misnomer?)  by  the  schooner  Franklin,  commanded  by  Captain 
James  Mugford  of  Marblehead.  It  is  a  prize  worth  capturing,  containing, 
as  it  does,  fifteen  hundred  barrels  of  powder  and  other  valuable  loading, 
and  one  thousand  carbines. 

May  2oth.  —  Yesterday  there  was  a  sharp  battle  in  the  harbor.  The 
British  navy,  it  seems,  will  not  let  Hope  go  without  a  struggle,  and  last  night 
about  thirteen  boats  from  the  men-of-war  at  Nantasket  attacked  the  Frank- 
lin, and  a  small  privateer,  the  Lady  Washington,  anchored  near,  and  there 
was  determined  fighting  on  both  sides.  Two  of  the  enemy's  boats  were 
sunk.  Brave  Captain  Mugford  was  mortally  wounded,  but  still  kept  up  the 
courage  of  his  men,  crying :  "  Do  not  give  up  the  ship,  —  you  will  beat 
them  off  !  "  They  did  beat  them  off,  but  the  noble  captain  did  not  live  to 
see  the  victory.  He  was  the  only  man  killed  on  our  side.  To-day  they 
have  carried  him  to  his  home  in  Marblehead,  to  bury  him. 

May  28t/i.  —  Massachusetts  has  taken  the  lead  in  the  movement  for  inde- 
pendence. There  is  scarcely  anything  else  spoken  of.  The  Provincial 
Congress,  May  loth,  acted  in  reference  to  it,  and  our  town  held  a  meeting 
the  other  day,  the  record  of  which  my  friend,  the  town  clerk,  has  copied  for 
me. 

"  CAMBRIDGE,  May  2jlh  1776. 

"At  a  meeting  of  the  Freeholders  &  other  Inhabitants  of  the  Town 
Legally  warned  to  Instruct  &  advise  their  Representatives,  whether,  that  if 
the  Honbi  Congress  should  for  the  Safety  of  the  Colonies  declare  them 
Independent  of  the  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain,  they  the  said  Inhabitants  will 
solemnly  engage  with  their  Lives  &  Fortunes  to  Support  them  in  the 
Measure. 

"  Cap1  Ebenezer  Stedman  chosen  Moderator. 

"  Unanimously  voted,  Whereas  in  the  late  House  of  Representatives  of 
this  Colony  May  io'h  1776,  it  was  Resolved  as  the  Opinion  of  that  House, 
that  the  Inhabitants  of  each  Town  in  this  Colony  ought  in  full  Town  Meet- 
ing warned  for  that  purpose,  to  advise  the  Person  or  Persons  who  shall  be 


Last  of  the  British  Fleet. 


81 


chosen  to  Represent  them  in  the  next  General  Court,  whether  that  if  the 
Honorable  Congress  should  for  the  Safety  of  the  said  Colonies  declare  them 
Independant  of  the  Kingdom  of  great  Britain,  they  the  said  Inhabitants  will 
solemnly  engage  with  their  Lives  &  Fortunes  to  support  them  in  the  meas- 
ure. 

"  We  the  Inhabitants  of  the  Town  of  Cambridge  in  full  Town  meeting  as- 
sembled, &  warned  for  the  Purpose  aforesaid,  do  solemnly  engage  with  our 
Lives  &  Fortunes  to  support  them  in  the  Measure." 

June  13/7*.  —  When  are  we  to  be  rid  of  the  British  fleet  ?  Our  harbor  has 
given  space  to  them  surely  long  enough.  They  say  there  are  several  hun- 
dred Highlanders,  on  board  the  eight  ships,  two  brigs,  and  one  schooner, 
which  compose  it.  General  Benjamin  Lincoln  has  a  plan  for  driving  them 


FIRST  STOUGHTON  HALL.    (TAKEN  DOWN  1780.) 

off  to  sea,  and  to-day  orders  were  given  to  the  people  of  Boston,  to  build 
fortifications  in  the  lower  harbor,  in  anticipation  of  any  trouble.  Troops 
have  embarked  for  Pettick's  Island  and  Hull,  about  six  hundred  men  at 
each  place,  and  bodies  of  militia  and  artillery  are  stationed  on  Moon  Island, 
at  Hoff's  Neck,  and  at  Point  Alderton.  On  Long  Island,  also,  a  detach- 
ment is  posted,  with  two  eighteen  pound  guns,  and  a  thirteen  inch  mortar. 
Colonel  Whitcomb  commands  the  whole. 

June  I4//J.  —  This  morning  the  fleet  was  fired  upon  from  Long  Island, 
and  returned  the  fire  with  vigor.  At  last  one  of  the  ships  was  pierced  with 
a  shot,  and  the  Commodore  gave  orders  to  put  to  sea,  which  was  done  im- 
mediately, after  first  blowing  up  the  light-house.  Just  two  years  to-day- 
since  Boston  harbor  was  closed  by  British  tyranny  to  American  vessels  ! 
The  anniversary  is  celebrated  by  the  expulsion  of  his  Majesty's  ships  from 
6 


82  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dudley. 

the  same  bay,  which  will  not  hold  them  again  we  hope,  unless  as  prisoners 
of  war. 

June  ijt/i.  —  At  last  the  students  have  come  back,  after  a  banishment  of 
fourteen  months  from  their  college  halls.  It  seems  like  old  times  to  see  the 
college  yard  dotted  with  familiar  forms,  wending  their  way,  books  in  hand, 
from  Massachusetts  to  Harvard,  from  Hollis  to  Stoughton  and  Holden, 
and  promenading  through  the  grounds  which  our  brave  Bluecoats  so  lately 
trod  with  martial  step  and  soldiers'  bearing.  •  Their  home  in  Concord  was 
without  many  of  the  comforts  and  conveniences  they  had  come  to  consider 
necessary  to  successful  study.  No  halls  ;  but  few  books,  or  maps,  or  appa- 
ratus, to  aid  them  up  the  hill  of  learning ;  no  wonder  that  the  privilege  of 
return  to  the  college  is  hailed  with  joy.  It  is  a  time  of  general  thanksgiving, 
and  yesterday  our  honored  President  preached  a  sermon  full  of  gratitude  to 
our  Heavenly  Father,  who  has  so  kindly  cared  for  the  interests  of  Harvard, 
and  brought  it  back  again  to  its  ancient  home.  Good  old  Dr.  Watts's  hymn 
on  God's  condescension  to  human  affairs,  never  seemed  more  appropriate 
than  when  it  rung  out  to  the  music  of  manly  voices,  through  the  Sabbath 
stillness,  waking  an  answering  song  of  praise  from  the  birds,  the  winged 
worshippers  in  God's  outer  temple  of  nature  :  — 

"  i  Up  to  the  Lord  that  reigns  on  high, 
And  views  the  nations  from  afar, 
Let  everlasting  praises  fly, 
And  tell  how  large  His  bounties  are. 

2  [He  that  can  shake  the  worlds  He  made, 

Or  with  His  wo.rd  or  with  His  rod, 
His  goodness,  how  amazing  great! 
And  what  a  condescending  God  !  ] 

3  [God  that  must  stoop  to  view  the  skies, 

And  bow  to  see  what  angels  do, 
Down  to  the  earth  He  casts  His  eyes, 
And  bends  His  footsteps  downwards  too.] 

4  He  overrules  all  mortal  things, 

And  manages  our  mean  affairs ; 
On  humble  souls  the  King  of  Kings 
Bestows  His  counsels  and  His  cares. 

5  Our  sorrows  and  our  tears  we  pour, 

I  nto  the  bosom  of  our  God ; 
He  hears  us  in  the  mournful  hour, 
And  helps  to  bear  the  heavy  load. 

6  In  vain  might  lofty  princes  try 

Such  condescension  to  perform ! 

For  worms  were  never  raised  so  high 

Above  their  meanest  fellow-worm. 


7  Oh !  cSuld  our  thankful  hearts  devise 

A  tribute  equal  to  Thy  grace, 
To  the  third  heav'n  our  songs  should  rise, 
And  teach  the  golden  harps  Thy  praise." 


An  Anniversary.  83 

Most  of  the  students  were  present,  and  the  meeting-house  was  full.  To- 
day is  the  first  anniversary  of  the  battle  which  cost  us  the  loss  of  General 
Joseph  Warren,  of  fragrant  memory,  ano>  with  him  many  soldiers  brave  and 
loyal  to  their  country.  These  anniversaries  are  sad,  and  yet  there  is  an  ele- 
ment of  thankfulness  in  our  feelings,  as  we  remember  the  honors-  so  glo- 
riously earned  by  our  noble  men,  and  the  proofs  given  to  all  the  world,  of 
their  patriotism  and  unflinching  courage. 

July  T>d.  —  Another  anniversary,  not  of  a  contest  of  arms,  but  of  an  occa- 
sion of  very  great  importance  to  the  country.  Just  one  year  to-day  since 
General  Washington,  under  the  superb  elm  which  we  love  to  call  by  his 
name,  formally  assumed  the  command  of  our  immense  body  of  armed  men. 
An  army  it  could  scarcely  be  called,  it  was  so  sadly  in  need  of  all  the  requi- 
site implements  of  war,  and  the  discipline  which  his  firm  hand  and  wise 
head  brought  to  the  disorderly  mass.  At  this  distance  of  time  we  can 
more  easily  understand  the  dreadful  difficulties  he  had  to  surmount  to  pre- 
serve the  appearance  of  a  well-equipped  army  in  the  eyes  of  the  Redcoats 
under  Sir  William  Howe.  For  eleven  months  they  stood  in  awe  of  our 
guns,  and  would  not  venture  forth  from  beleaguered  Boston  to  attack  the 
surrounding  strongholds.  Their  final  evacuation  on  St.  Patrick's  Day  was 
regarded  with  astonishment  in  England,  where  the  indomitable  perseverance 
and  unequalled  skill  of  our  great  general  are  not  understood.  Mr.  Han- 
cock's letter  to  General  Washington,  on  that  occasion,  expressed  the  univer- 
sal feeling  of  gratitude  and  admiration  extended  to  him  :  — 

"  PHILADELPHIA,  id  April,  1776. 

"  SIR,  —  It  gives  me  the  most  sensible  pleasure  to  convey  to  you,  by  order 
of  Congress,  the  only  tribute  which  a  free  people  will  ever  consent  to  pay, 
the  tribute  of  thanks  and  gratitude  to  their  friends  and  benefactors.  The 
disinterested  and  patriotic  principles,  which  led  you  to  the  field,  have  also 
led  you  to  glory  ;  and  it  affords  no  little  consolation  to  your  countrymen  to 
reflect,  that,  as  a  peculiar  greatness  of  mind  induced  you  to  decline  any 
compensation  for  serving  them,  except  the  pleasure  of  promoting  their  hap- 
piness, they  may  without  your  permission,  bestow  upon  you  the  largest  share 
of  their  affections  and  esteem. 

"  Those  pages  in  the  annals  of  America  will  record  your  title  to  a  con- 
spicuous place  in  the  temple  of  fame,  which  shall  inform  posterity,  that, 
under  your  direction,  an  undisciplined  band  of  husbandmen  in  the  course  of 
a  few  months  became  soldiers ;  and  that  the  desolation  meditated  against 
the  country  by  a  brave  army  of  veterans,  commanded  by  the  most  experi- 
enced generals,  but  employed  by  bad  men  in  the  worst  of  causes,  was,  by 
the  fortitude  of  your  troops,  and  the  address  of  their  officers,  next  to  the 
kind  interposition  of  Providence,  confined  for  near  a  year  within  such  nar- 
row limits,  as  scarcely  to  admit  more  room  than  was  necessary  for  the  en- 
campments and  fortifications  they  lately  abandoned.  Accept,  therefore, 


84  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dudley. 

Sir,  the  thanks  of  the  United  Colonies,  unanimously  declared  by  their  dele- 
gates to  be  due  to  you,  and  the  brave  officers  and  troops  under  your  com- 
mand ;  and  be  pleased  to  communfcate  to  them  this  distinguished  mark  of 
the  approbation  of  their  country.  The  Congress  have  ordered  a  golden 
medal,  adapted  to  the  occasion,  to  be  struck,  and  when  finished,  to  be  pre- 
sented to  you. 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  with  every  sentiment  of  esteem,  Sir,  your  most 
obedient  and  very  humble  servant, 

•    "JOHN  HANCOCK,  President:'1 

July  5///.  —  My  friend  Esther  Livingstone  has  sent  me  copies  of  two 
letters  from  Mr.  Edmund  Quincy,1  to  his  daughter  Katy.  Esther  has  become 
well  acquainted  with  Miss  Quincy,  and  knowing  the  interest  they  would 
possess  for  me,  begged  to  be  allowed  to  copy  the  letters  for  my  pleasure. 

"  LANCASTER,  May  ijtfi,  1776. 

"  To  Miss  KATY  QUINCY. 

"Dear  Child.  — As  you  are  called  in  the  Providence  of  God,  to  take  so 
long  a  journey  as  from  hence  to  Philad*  at  ye  request  of  Mr.  Hancock  & 
yr  Sister,  to  accompy  &  be  a  comfort  to  her  who  by  ye  same  providence  has 
been  conducted  thither  &  there  it's  probable  she  may  have  her  residence,  yet 
for  some  considerable  time,  if  ye  present  civil  war  should  by  Him  be  per- 
mitted to  continue  to  another  year.  I  am  to  wish  you  a  safe  &  comfortable 
journey,  &  that  it  may  prove  advantageous  to  yr  health,  &  that  ye  may 
meet  yr  Br  &  Sr  in  an  equal  enjoyment  of  theirs. 

"  The  parent  country  and  these  united  provinces  are  doubtless  for  very 
wise  reasons  &  ends  suffered  to  be  involved  in  one  common  calamity,  that  of 
a  civil  &  bloody  war.  Yet  we  have  great  cause  of  thankfulness  in  this  prov- 
ince especially  in  wh  ye  war  began:  (1775  Apr.  19)  having  on  ye  17^1  of 
March  last  been  kindly  delivered  (nearly  without  bloodshed)  from  so  large  a 
no  of  troops  collected  in  our  Capital  wh,  as  you  know,  I  have  always  viewed 
as  a  merciful  token  of  a  General  hopeless  Evacuation  of  ye  most  atrocious  & 
savage  as  well  as  impolitic  undertaking  to  subjugate  3  mills  of  people,  distant 
3200  geographic  miles,  united  in  13  colonies  ;  nor  is  anything  similar  to  be 
found  in  either  antient  or  modern  History.  Those  who  may  live  to  see  ye  close 
of  ye  present  century  *  *  *  *  will  doubtless  discern  that  in  infinite  wisdom 
&  goodness  God  has  permitted  ye- present  evil  day  to  overtake  us.  *  *  *  * 
Much  division  is  unhappily  occasioned  among  Friends,  &  some  large  soci- 

1  Edmund  Quincy  was  graduated  at  Harvard  in  1732.  He  then  went  into  business  with  his  brother 
Josiah,  and  his  brother-in-law  Edmund  Jackson  (the  husband  of  "Dorothy  Q.").  They  were  very 
prosperous,  having  extensive  European  business  relations,  and,  in  1750,  when  they  dissolved  partner- 
ship, divided  upwards  of  $300,000,  a  large  fortune  in  those  days.  Josiah  Quincy  retired  to  Braintree, 
and  retained  his  property  and  his  portion  of  the  paternal  estate  ;  but  Edmund  entered  business  again, 
with  his  sons  Edmund  and  Henry.  The  new  firm  was  unfortunate,  and,  after  1759,  the  writer  of  the 
letter  in  the  text  lived  in  Boston  in  comparatively  restricted  circumstances  until  his  death.  During  the 
siege  he  retired  to  Lancaster.  His  daughters  were  remarkable  for  their  beauty.  —  ED. 


L etter  of  Edmund  Qu incy.  8 5 

eties  very  much  thro'  the  lust  of  pride  &  thirst  of  power  over  their  Brethren 
wh.  will  appear  on  both  sides  of  the  water,  to  have  ye  original  of  ye  present 
strange  event.  Probably  as  many  of  this  class  of  aspiring  men  may  have 
sprung  from  this  province  as  any  other  &  perhaps  more  as  it  is  certain  One 
among  those  who  have  tho't  it  best  to  exile  themselves  from  their  native  land, 
has  been  ever  charg'd  with  acting  such  a  part,  thro'  the  whole  of  his 
pub1  adm°n  &  upon  every  private  occasion  as  finally  to  fix  ye  foregoing  char- 
acter upon  him,  especially  among  those  who  have  been  cotemporary  in 
govern1  (who  have  been  numerous  he  beginning  very  young)  Wl  the  fatal 
issue  may  prove  to  those  who  have  listed  under  his  Banners,  none  can  tell  — 
this  is  certain  and  awful  that  their  Salvation,  if  obtained,  must  arise  from 
ye  destruction  of  ye  Liberty  of  America  &  probably  of  mankind.  We  may 
discern  some  things  in  ye  present  scene  of  things,  but  we  are  doomed  to 
blindness  as  to  the  future  —  we  have  nevertheless  our  several  parts  to  act 
&  those  especially  in  Government,  in  these  days  of  trial  are  indisputably 
called  in  their  several  departments  to  provide  such  means  of  resistance  as 
may  be  judged  adequate  to  that  defence  we  are  under  the  necessity  of 
making.  Still  may  our  confidence  be  placed  on  him  whose  arm  alone  can 
and  will  save  us,  as  he  has  often  done  our  fathers  in  this  land,  wm  little 
better  than  a  howling  desert.  They  were  never  indeed  called  to  a  similar 
trial  but  they  were  more  than  once  in  danger  of  total  excision  from  ye  savage 
nations  of  the  wilderness  ;  yet  ye  wisest  of  our  predecessors,  never  surely 
formed  an  Idea  of  ye  possibility  of  any  B.  Europeans  making  assault  upon 
their  best  friends  in  so  savage  a  manner,  no  way  very  dissimilar  (except  in 
ye  Naval  armament)  to  the  victories  of  Fire  &  Sword,  wch  our  fathers  suf- 
ferd  from  their  Indian  enemies,  more  cruel  than  ye  beasts  of  prey.  I  have 
often  pictured  to  you  what  I  thought  of  ye  original  of  ye  remarkable  change 
in  ye  Governors  of  ye  B.  Nation  touching  ye  subordinates  rule  among 
ye  cols.  I  suspect  they  will  very  soon  have  reason  to  tremble  at  ye  ap- 
proaching breach  wth  France  &  Spain.  It  must  prove  ye  dangerous  war  G. 
B.  has  been  for  more  than  a  century  past  involved  in.  The  patriotic  D.  of 
Richmond  &  good  B.  of  St.  Asaph  have  wrote  en<>  to  confirm  every  sensible 
man  in  the  same  sentiments  wh  they  have  very  freely  pubH  in  ye  1774. 

"  My  devout  wish  is  that  ye  Brit,  people  may  soon  see  ye  Errs  of  their 
present  Rulers,  &  that  God  may  have  mercy  upon  them  and  early  prevent 
their  final  ruin  —  wh  certainly  awaits  them  unless  saved  by  repentance  & 
reforma  — 

"  I  w'd  have  yu  give  me  (undr  Mr.  H  &  Frank)  ye  earliest  notice  of  yr  safe 
arrival  at  P.  and  of  his  &  yr  sister's  state  of  health  :  also  chrg  Dr.  Y.  home 
wth  his  neglect  of  corresp" — if  ye  effect  of  an  extensive  practise  it  will  be 
some  excuse.  Dont  forget  ye  pamphlet  called  ye  2d  appeal  to  Justce  of 
Jany  10,  last  —  of  wh.  we  had  some  clauses  in  ye  Boston  paper.  —  if  at 
Pha  upon  return  of  Mr.  Bant  send  me  anything  wh  is  worth  sending,  &  De- 
sire Dr.  Young  to  comply  with  his  promise  of  a  copy  ye  City  new  govern- 


86  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dudley. 

ment  —  My  best  wishes  attend  you  in  y  present  long  journey  &  hope  under 
Mr.  Bants  convoy  you'll  arrive  in  at  least  a  comfortable  manner.  If  yu  should 
consent  to  be  inoculated  I  hope  you'll  be  attended  by  a  skilful  Physitian  :  — 
at  ye  same  time  you'll  remember  to  fix  yr  chief  trust  in  ye  Gt  Physitian  of 
soul  &  body.  To  whose  kind  providence  I  commend  you  &  remn  Dr  Child 
yr  very  afft  Fa  &  Friend." 

"  LANCASTER  June  \oth  1776. 

"  Dear  D*  Katy.  Since  y  departure  we've  no  certain  advices  from  our 
army  in  Canada,  only  that  there  has  been  a  very  important  battle  between 
them  and  Carlton's  troops  &  that  in  gen1  our  army  obtains  a  victory  —  pos- 
sibly the  particulars  have  reached  P.  ere  this  will  come  to  hand.  We  are 
not  a  little  concerned  least  Burgoine  may  have  arrived  with  his  troops,  time 
eno.  to  prevent  our  gaining  ye  fortress  of  Q.  however  we  must  submit  to  ye 
determina  of  a  wise  provid",  not  doubting  the  issue  will  be  in  our  favor. 
We  hear  from  Halifax  that  sickness  prevails  among  the  troops  there.  By 
a  ship  there  fr°  G.  B.  there  comes  advice  that  ye  Fleet,  sail'd  for  America 
had  met  with  such  bad  weather,  as  to  disperse  almost  ye  whole,  some  of 
wh.  had  put  into  Lisbon,  others  into  France  &  some  retd-  By  wch  disaster 
possibly  a  much  less  formidable  force  will  arrive  safe  than  has  been  feared 
by  some  &  wished  for  by  others  —  it  is  certain,  we  have  as  yet  no  cer- 
tain ace1  of  ye  arrival  of  any  large  force  at  Hx  nevertheless  the  fortifica- 
tions are  going  forward  at  Boston  wth  vigour,  &  its  expected  their  strength 
will  be  very  sufficient  to  oppose  an  entrance  into  ye  upper  harbour,  shd  an 
attempt  be  made  by  Admi  Howe  ;  but  I  rather  think  that  his  grand  effort 
will  be  agnst  N.  Yr  not  by  nature  so  capable  of  defense  as  Boston,  wh  his 
Br  abt  3  mo.  ago  so  unexpectedly  and  shamelessly  evacuated,  ye  advise  of 
wh.,  we  may  expect  to  hear,  has  been  more  surprising  to  ye  admi  (if  arrived) 
than  anything  he  had  before  met  with  :  as  it  must  have  in  a  great  measure 
disconcerted  ye  ministerial  plan  of  operation ;  &  should  some  more  of  the 
most  important  store-ships  of  Parker's  Fleet  be  lost,  or  delayed  by  their  re- 
pairs in  any  port  wh.  they  might  have  made  after  ye  Storm,  the  summer  may 
prove  too  short  for  ye  Execution  of  their  infernal  design,  for  it  appears  to 
me  it  will  deserve  no  softer  Epithet :  and  I  think  I  know  the  source,  &  am 
very  little  at  a  loss,  as  to  ye  general  issue  of  the  present  nonpareil  contro- 
versy —  The  Britons  tell  us,  tho'  wth  singular  impropriety  &  very  little 
truth,  that  they  have  with  great  care  &  expenses,  settled,  nourished  &  de- 
fended these  NO  American  Cols  from  their  infancy  &  therefore  that  they 
are  chargeable  wth  ye  blackest  ingratitude  as  well  as  ye  greatest  injustice  in 
ye  resistance  wh.  they  have  dared  to  make  agt  ye  sovereign  authority  of  ye 
B.  empire.  Administration  have,  from  the  first  forming  of  their  plan  of 
subjugn,  flatter^  thems.  that  ye  Cols  would  not  unite  in  an  opposition,  be- 
ing, as  I  apprehend,  judicially  blinded  fro.  ye  beginning,  even  so  far  as  to 
assure  thems.  that  13  considerable  provinces  under  a  free  Govf  wd  be 
frighted  into  an  immediate  compliance  w*h  their  demand  —  upon  ye  sight  of 


Independence  at  Last.  87 

a  Comparatively  Small  no.  of  troops  parading  in  ye  Streets  of  Boston,  &  a 
few  large  ships  in  its  harbour,  ready  to  cooperate  wtl>  the  same  upon  opposi- 
tion. To  this  egregious  blunder  of  ye  B.  Gov1  ye  present  safety  of  these  A. 
Cols,  has  been,  &  is,  greatly  owing,  inasmuch  as  it  has,  for  several  years, 
prevented  ye  ministry  fr.  applyg  to  Pl  for  such  a  formidable  force  as  they 
threaten  this  year  to  bring  against  us.  We  hear  of  sundry  prize  ships,  sent 
into  several  parts  since  you  left  us  —  2  sugar  ships  from  Jamaica,  one  450 
tons  —  30  Gentn  &  ladies  passengers  —  wth  20000  dollars  on  brd  besides  a 
valuable  Cargo  —  ye  passengers  by  agreem'  were  landed  at  Providence  —  this 
morning  advise  of  a  Scotch  ship  wth  a  no  of  highlanders  &  others  near  about 
140  wth  Cargo  bro'  into  Salem  as  soldiers  —  they 'are  best  under  our  com- 
mand. Let  me  know  if  any  good  manufacreare  hopefully  rising  in  or  near 
P.  The  present  Scarcity  of  B.  Commod5  is  &  will  prove  of  vast  advant6  to 
ye  whole  Am»  Community  —  tho'  a  fatal  stab  to  ye  B.  commerce.  To  pre- 
vent ye  latter,  I  presume,  admtio"  has  made  an  argumt  of  ye  apparent  danger 
to  persuade  B.  merchants  &  manufacrs  to  lend  them  aid  to  ye  present  grand 
preparations,  with  many  promises  of  compensa  for  all  their  losses  out  of  ye 
AmMn  forfeited  estates.  One  wd  almost  think  that  Reason  as  well  as  vir- 
tue had  taken  its  flight  fr  the  most  important  ranks  of  B.  Subjects." 

July  igth.  —  Independence  is  declared  at  last !  The  glorious  document 
which  proclaims  our  Colonies  to  be  free  and  independent  States,  has  been 
read  from  the  balcony  of  the  State  House  and  in  Faneuil  Hall,  and  greeted 
with  cheers  of  welcome  from  thousands  of  patriotic  throats.  The  thought  of 
independence  has  been  a  familiar  one  for  many  months,  and  the  fiery  enthu- 
siasm which  now  flames  forth  from  all  quarters  tells  of  the  universal  joy  of 
the  nation.  The  seventh  day  of  June  Mr.  Richard  Henry  Lee  of  Virginia 
made  a  motion  in  Congress,  that  "these  United  Colonies  are  and  of  right 
ought  to  be  free  and  independent  States,"  and  proposed  that  they  dissolve 
all  connection  with  the  mother  country.  The  question  was  debated  vigor- 
ously and  eloquently,  and  on  the  eleventh  of  June  a  committee,  consisting  of 
Thomas  Jefferson  of  Virginia,  John  Adams  of  our  own  Colony,  Benjamin 
Franklin  of  Pennsylvania,  Roger  Sherman  of  Connecticut,  and  Robert  R. 
Livingston  of  New  York,  was  appointed  to  draft  a  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence. Each  member  of  the  committee  drew  up  such  a  paper  as  expressed 
his  own  views  and  feelings,  and  then  the  five  met  for  consultation.  Mr.  Jef- 
ferson's paper  was  read  first,  and  so  entirely  met  the  approval  of  the  others, 
that  it  was  unanimously  adopted  as  being  in  every  way  superior  to  their  own. 
This  was  reported  to  Congress,  and  after  being  discussed  several  days  and 
slightly  altered,  was  agreed  to  on  the  fourth  day  of  July.  The  streets  of 
Philadelphia,  on  that  day,  were  filled  with  eager  crowds,  waiting  to  know  the 
decision  of  Congress.  The  bell-ringer  of  the  State  House  stood  at  his  post 
in  the  steeple,  from  the  early  morning,  that  he  might  be  prompt  to  announce 
to  the  people  that  their  independence  was  formally  declared.  His  little  boy 


88  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Dorothy  Dudley. 

was  stationed  where  he  could  get  the  earliest  news  of  the  event  and  at  last, 
as  the  old  man  grew  impatient  at  the  long  delay,  the  boyish  voice  rung 
through  the  air  :  "  Ring  !  Ring,  Father  !  Ring  !  "  And  then  the  bells  sent 
forth  a  triumphant  peal  which  was  answered  by  shouts  of  joy  from  the  ex- 
cited multitude.  The  declaration  thus  concludes  :  "  We,  therefore,  the 
representatives  of  the  United  States  of  America  in  General  Congress  assem- 
bled, appealing  to  the  Supreme  Judge  of  the  World  for  the  rectitude  of  our 
intentions,  do,  in  the  name,  and  by  the  authority  of  the  good  people  of  these 
Colonies,  solemnly  publish  and  declare,  That  these  United  Colonies  are,  and 
of  right  ought  to  be,  Free  and  Independent  States ;  that  they  are  absolved 
from  all  allegiance  to  the  British  crown,  and  that  all  political  connection  be- 
tween them  and  the  state  of  Great  Britian,  is,  and  ought  to  be,  totally  dis- 
solved ;  and  that,  as  Free  and  Independent  States,  they  have  full  power  to 
levy  war,  conclude  peace,  contract  alliances,  establish  commerce,  and  to  do 
all  other  acts  and  things  which  Independent  States  may  of  right  do.  And 
for  the  support  of  this  declaration,  with  a. firm  reliance  on  the  protection  of 
Divine  Providence,  we  mutually  pledge  to  each  other  our  lives,  our  fortunes, 
and  our  sacred  honor." 

Though  this  declaration  was  agreed  to  on  the  fourth,  the  resolution  adopt- 
ing it  was  passed  on  the  second  day  of  July,  and  Mr.  John  Adams,  writ- 
ing on  the  day  after  that  memorable  event,  says  :  "  The  second  day  of  July, 
1776,  will  be  the  most  memorable  epocha  in  the  history  of  America  ;  to  be 
celebrated  by  succeeding  generations  as  the  great  anniversary  festival,  com- 
memorated as  the  day  of  deliverance  by  solemn  acts  of  devotion  to  God 
Almighty,  from  one  end  of  the  continent  to  the  other,  from  this  time  forward 
forevermore.  I  am  well  aware  of  the  toil,  and  blood,  and  treasure  that  it 
will  cost  us  to  maintain  this  declaration,  and  support  and  defend  these 
States  ;  yet  through  all  the  gloom,  I  can  see  the  rays  of  light  and  glory  ;  that 
the  end  is  worth  all  the  means  ;  that  posterity  will  triumph  in  that  day's 
transaction,  even  though  we  should  rue  it,  which  I  trust  in  God  we  shall 
not." 

[The  Editor  reluctantly  closes  his  extracts  from  Miss  Dudley's  Diary  at 
this  point.  It  would  be  interesting  to  read  her  animadversions  upon  the 
succeeding  events,  but  they  Would  frequently  take  us  away  from  Cambridge, 
which,  as  she  has  remarked,  was  very  quiet  after  the  evacuation  of  Boston. 

The  extracts  already  given  subserve  the  purposes  of  this  volume,  and  are 
also  unconscious  witnesses  to  the  firm  and  enthusiastic  patriotism  of-  the 
writer,  as  well  as  to  her  remarkable  ability  as  a  gatherer  and  recorder  of  cur- 
rent news  at  a  period  when  the  public  press  was  not  the  all-pervading  power 
that  it  now  is.] 


THE   GUESTS   AT   HEAD-QUARTERS. 

BY   H.    E.    SCUDDER. 

THE  great  square  house  which  was  provided  for  Washington's  head- 
quarters in  Cambridge,  had  seen  a  generous  hospitality  displayed,  no 
doubt,  when  Mr.  John  Vassall  occupied  it  and  looked  out  over  the  broad 
acres  attached  to  it,  and  noted  the  half  dozen  similar  mansions  scattered 
along  the  Watertown  Road,  that  held  his  Tory  neighbors.  But  the  Virginian 
who  took  possession  brought  with  him  traditions  of  ample  living  and  social 
habits  which  were  re-enforced  by  the  demands  made  upon  the  Commander- 
in-chief  of  the  Continental  army.  Washington  was  a  soldier,  and  a  man,  be- 
sides, of  self-restraint.  His  moderation  was  seen  in  his  diet,  which  was  ex- 
tremely simple,  sometimes  nothing,  we  are  told,  but  baked  apples  or  berries 
with  cream  and  milk ;  and  in  his  early  and  regular  hours.  As  the  central 
figure,  however,  in  the  American  army,  and  representative  of  the  cause 
which  brought  soldiers  and  civilians  to  Cambridge,  he  gathered  about  him, 
at  his  head-quarters,  the  officers  of  the  army  and  the  prominent  visitors  who 
for  public  or  personal  reasons  made  their  way  to  the  camp.  The  Provincial 
Congress  enabled,  him  to  maintain  a  style  of  living  which  comported  with 
his  position,  and  his  table  was  the  social  centre  of  the  camp.  Some  of  his 
officers  dined  with  him  every  day.  Let  us  see  who  they  were  that  became 
familiar  with  the  halls  of  this  historic  house. 

Major-General  Charles  Lee  was  the  most  conspicuous  of  the  military 
men  toward  whom  the  young  country,  anxious  for  heroes,  looked  with  ad- 
miration. His  romantic  career  as  a  soldier  of  fortune,  his  ready  defence  of 
the  American  cause,  when  other  men  of  patriotic  principle  were  more  cau- 
tious, and  his  reputation  for  personal  courage,  gave  him  at  once  a  strong 
hold  upon  the  popular  mind.  Indeed,  he  cut  a  dashing  figure  beside  the 
dignified,  reserved  Washington.  He  has  been  well  described  in  his  personal 
appearance  as  "  a  tall  man,  lank  and  thin,  with  a  huge  nose,  a  satirical 
mouth,  and  restless  eyes,  who  sat  his  horse  as  if  he  had  often  ridden  at  fox- 
hunts in  England,  and  wore  his  uniform  with  a  cynical  disregard  of  common 
opinion."1  Seen  near  at  hand,  this  restless,  ambitious  man  piqued  his  com- 
rades and  friends  by  his  apparently  indifferent,  contemptuous  ways.  He 
was  always  attended  by  a  great  dog,  Spada  by  name,  perhaps  brought 

1  Greene's  Life  of  Nnthatuiel  Greene,  vol.  i.  p.  100. 


90  The  Guests  at  Head-Quarters. 

with  him  from  Portugal,  that  shared  his  quarters  in  Hobgoblin  Hall,  went 
with  him  to  dinner  parties,  and  was  formally  presented  to  his  guests  and 
friends.  Two  years  later,  when  General  Lee  was  a  prisoner,  his  dog  was 
sent  down  the  lines  by  General  Greene  under  passport,  and  passes  out  of 
history  just  as  Lee  himself  enters  the  shadow  of  a  terrible  reproach. 

Of  all  the  officers  who  then  sat  at  Washington's  table,  Nathanael  Greene 
was  the  one  whose  laurels  have  remained  the  most  unfaded.  This  sturdy 
Quaker  bred  anchor-smith,  who  by  slow  but  sure  degrees  had  been  welding 
his  Quaker  integrity  and  business  faculty  into  sinewy  completeness,  now 
at  the  time  of  need  was  found  with  a  steady  brain  and  ready  hand,  slip- 
ping off  easily  the  civilian  and  letting  the  soldier  and  sagacious  general 
come  forth.  Washington's  right  hand  man  in  the  hard  struggle  to  come, 
that  was  to  witness  cabals  and  intrigues  as  well  as  open  enmities,  it  is  im- 
possible but  that  the  great  general  should  have  looked  upon  this  New  Eng- 
land man  as  one  of  the  most  welcome  at  his  table. 

The  soldiers'  favorite,  General  Israel  Putnam,  was  also  one  of  Washing- 
ton's guests.  No  doubt  this  hot-headed,  blustering,  but  brave  officer  brought 
other  than  the  politest  manners  to  the  table  of  the  Virginian  gentleman,  but 
Washington,  with  his  cool,  clear  judgment  of  men,  was  not  one  to  be  gov- 
erned in  his  tastes  by  the  presence  or  lack  of  elegant  manners.  General 
Putnam  brought  to  the  military  society  an  intrepid  courage,  a  readiness  of 
invention,  and  a  bonhomie  which  must  have  rendered  him  an  important  ele- 
ment. One  scene  laid  at  the  head-quarters  is  given,  when  Old  Put  dashes  up 
to  the  gateway,  bearing  behind  his  saddle  the  woman  to  whom  Church  had 
intrusted  his  treacherous  letter,  and  drags  her,  terrified,  up  the  broad  path- 
way to  the  door. 

Major  Thomas  Mifflin,  afterwards  general,  now  upon  Washington's  staff, 
and  residing  in  the  old  Brattle  House  facing  the  lane  that  led  to  Harvard 
Square,  must  have  been  a  constant  visitor.  Brave  and  eloquent,  he  had  a 
presence  and  manner  which  charmed  all  about  him.  His 
wife,  in  delicate  health,  was  with  him,  but  this  did  not 
prevent  him.  from  being  eagerly  sought  by  all  the  ladies  in 
society,  who  sang  his  praise  with  hearty  unanimity.  It 
was  he  who,  raised  to  the  rank  of  colonel  and  quarter- 
master-general, was  called  to  the  council  for  determining 
the  day  when  Dorchester  Heights  should  be  taken  pos- 
session of,  and  made  the  suggestion,  so  quickly  taken 
up,  that  the  night  of  the  4th  of  March  should  be  chosen, 
since  then,  if  a  battle  were  fought  on  the  5th,  the  memory 
of  the  "  Massacre  "  would  give  a  rallying  cry  to  the  sol- 


THE  BRATTLE  ARMS. 

Closer  to  Washington's  person  was  the  accomplished  Joseph  Reed,  his 
secretary  and  dear  friend,  who  wrote  so  freely  and  easily,  and  between 
whom  and  Washington  there  subsisted  so  charming  a  relation,  leading  the 


Mrs.  Washington  in  Cambridge.  91 

reserved  general  to  write  almost  boyishly  to  the  junior  soldier.  His  an- 
swer to  Governor  Johnstone's  temptation  —  "I  am  not  worth  purchasing  ; 
but  such  as  I  am  the  King  of  Great  Britain  is  not  rich  enough  to  do  it,"  was 
the  instantaneous  and  scornful  message  of  a  man  of  the  highest  honor. 

It  was  in  July  when  Washington  took  possession  of  the  Vassall  house, 
and  in  November  he  was  joined  by  Mrs.  Washington,  who  made  the  sol- 
diers' quarters  a  home,  and  received  there  the  officers'  wives,  who  had 
joined  their  husbands  when  it  was  evident  that  the  siege  was  to  be  a  win- 
ter one.  Mrs.  Greene  was  one  of  these,  and  out  of  the  friendship  that 
there  sprang  up  came  the  names  of  George  and  Martha  Washington  given 
to  the  two  children  of  General  Greene  and  his  wife.  Mrs.  John  Adams  also 
was  a  visitor,  and  records  in  her  lively  letters  the  social  stir  that  was  known 
in  the  Cambridge  camp  at  this  period. 

But  it  was  not  only  these  who  walked  the  broad  pathway  to  the  Vassall 
house,  — officers  and  officers'  wives  and  neighboring  civilians,  —  but  hospi- 
tality was  extended  to  the  public  men  of  the  Colony,  to  the  members  of  the 
Committee  of  Safety  who  visited  the  General,  and  of  the  Provincial  Con- 
gress, sitting  hard  by  in  Watertown.  The  most  noted  company,  however, 
that  sat  at  Washington's  table,  was  when  in  October  a  committee  of  Con- 
gress, consisting  of  Benjamin  Franklin,  Thomas  Lynch  of  Carolina,  and 
Colonel  Harrison  of  Virginia,  arrived  to  confer  with  the  generals.  With 
these  commissioners  were  present  Deputy-Governor  Griswold  and  Judge 
Nathaniel  Wales  from  Connecticut,  Deputy-Governor  Cooke  from  Rhode 
Island,  James  Bowdoin,  Colonel  Otis,  William  Sever  and  Walter  Spooner 
of  the  Massachusetts  Council.  The  records  of  this  conference  have  been 
preserved,  and  are  a  matter  of  history.  We  have  a  glimpse  of  a  dinner 
party  given  to  them,  afforded  by  Dr.  Belknap,  who  was  a  guest,  and  who 
writes  :  "  Lynch,  Harrison,  and  Wales  wished  to  see  Boston  in  flames.  Lee 
told  them  it  was  impossible  to  burn  it  unless  they  sent  men  in  with  bundles 
of  straw  on  their  backs  to  do  it.  He  said  it  could  not  be  done  with  carcass 
and  hot  shot ;  and  instanced  the  Isle  Royal,  in  St.  Lawrence  River,  which 
was  fired  at  in  1760  a  long  time,  with  a  fine  train  of  artillery,  hot  shot,  and 
carcasses,  without  effect."  l 

In  this  extract  Dr.  Franklin's  voice  is  not  heard.  We  can  imagine  that 
no  visitor  would  attract  more  attention  than  this  renowned  man,  who  sat  and 
listened  to  a  discussion  whether  his  native  town  should  be  destroyed.  He 
was  sixty-nine  years  old  at  this  time,  twenty-six  years  older  than  the  com- 
manding general.  He  represented  the  mind  which  had  foreseen  the  im- 
pending conflict  years  before,  and  was  able  now  to  write  to  his  philosophic 
friend  Priestley  :  "  Enough  has  happened,  one  would  think,  to  convince 
your  ministers  that  the  Americans  will  fight,  and  that  this  is  a  harder  nut 
to  crack  than  they  imagine."  His  buoyant,  hopeful  nature,  and  shrewd, 
worldly  wisdom,  must  have  given  to  General  Washington  at  this  time  a  sense 

1  Life  of  Dr.  Belknap,  p.  96,  quoted  in  Frothingham's  Siege  of  Boston,  p.  257. 


Q2  The  Guests  at  Head- Quarters. 

of  strength  in  the  council  at  Philadelphia,  and  it  is  not  hard  to  imagine 
that  between  the  great  general  and  the  sagacious  statesman  there  should 
have  passed  much  deliberation,  weighing  of  men  and  measures,  gauging  o 
the  forces  in  conflict. 

The  walls  of  the  Vassall  House  resounded  to  talk  of  war  and  spor 
frolic.  Often  Washington  left  the  table  in  charge  of  one  of  his  aids,  and 
retired  in  accordance  with  his  methodical  habits.  No  one  has  preserved 
the  record  of  the  jest  and  story  that  were  tossed  back  and  forth  by  the  eager 
young  officers  who  were  entering  upon  a  war  which,  in  its  seven  years'  de- 
tail, was  to  sober  some,  and  lay  some  in  the  grave.  The  victories  of  peace, 
of  scholarship,  and  of  letters,  have  been  won  because  of  the  conferences 
there  held  in  the  early  days  of  the  Revolution.  The  clank  of  spur  and  sword 
have  ceased,  but  the  voices  of  wisdom  and  of  mirth  have  never  yet  died 
out  within  those  historic  walls. 


THE  BATCHELDER   HOUSE,   AND    ITS   OWNERS. 

BY    MRS.    ISABELLA  JAMES. 

"  We  have  no  title-deeds  to  house  or  lands ; 

Owners  and  occupants  of  earlier  dates 
From  graves  forgotten  stretch  their  dusty  hands, 
And  hold  in  mortmain  still  their  old  estates." 

LONGFELLOW. 

THE  story  of  a  house  where  many  generations  have  lived  and  died,  can 
hardly  be  contained  within  the  brief  space  allowed  in  this  volume, 
yet  these  pages  will  give  in  as  condensed  form  as  possible  some  interesting 
facts  connected  with  one  of  the  most  ancient  houses  of  this  historic  town,  if 
not  the  very  oldest  now  standing  in  Cambridge.  The  dates  here  given, 
which  will  correct  some  accounts  previously  printed,  have  been  drawn  from 
deeds  and  other  legal  papers  by  the  present  owner  of  the  estate,  aged  nine- 
ty-one and  a  half,  who  has  held  and  occupied  it  for  thirty-four  years. 

This  ancient  house  stands  on  the  southwesterly  side  of  the  old  Watertown 
Road  nearly  opposite  Mason  Street.  The  first  recognition  of  any  highway 
in  the  town  records  of  Cambridge  is  December  2,  1633  :  "  Ordered  that  no 
person  shall  fell  any  trees  within  the  path  that  goeth  from  Watertown  to 
Charlestown."  This  path  x  is  what  was  afterwards  called  the  King's  high- 
way, and  until  after  the  Revolution  was  the  only  route  from  Market  Square 
and  the  colleges  to  Watertown  and  the  country  beyond. 

From  the  early  records  it  appears  that  this  part  of  Cambridge  was  called 
West  End,  for  in  the  account  of  the  houses  and  lands  of  the  inhabitants  of 
the  town  given  in  at  a  General  Court  holden  at  Boston  6th  of  ;th  mo.  A.  D. 
1642.  "  Cary  Latham.2  Imprimis,  in  West  End,  one  dwelling  house  with 
outhouses  and  seven  acres  of  land  more  or  less  ;  "  then  follow  the  boundaries 
on  the  southeast  by  Ash  Street  at  that  time  called  the  Highway  to  Windmill 
Hill,3  and  northeast  the  highway  to  Watertown.  20^  5th  mo.,  1645,  Latham 
conveyed  the  estate  with  the  same  boundaries  to  Thomas  Crosby.  At  the 
first  settlement  of  Cambridge,  it  appears  that  part  of  this  land  facing  the 
Watertown  Road  was  laid  off  in  half-acre  lots,  one  of  which  was  owned  and 

1  Now  Kirkland,  Garden,  Mason,  and  Brattle  streets. 

2  He  removed  early  to  New  London,  where  he  was  representative  in  1664  and  1670.  —  Sav.  Gen. 

3  In  a  grant  of  land  March  2d,  to  John  Benjamin,  there  is  this  reservation,  "  Provided  that  the 
Windmill  Hill  shall  be  reserved  for  the  town's  use  and  a  cartway  of  two  rods  wide  unto  the  same." 


94  The  Batchelder  House,  and  its  Owners. 

occupied  by  Roger  Bancroft  before  1645,  for  in  that  year  he  bought  another 
adjoining  from  Robert  Parker,  a  butcher,  whose  son  John  graduated  at  Har- 
vard University,  1661.  Evidence  of  this  occupation  of  the  premises  two 
hundred  and  thirty  years  ago  appeared  when  Brattle  Street  was  widened  in 
1871.  The  excavations  made  to  rebuild  the  wall  revealed  heaps  of  animal 
bones  which  for  a  few  hours  created  quite  a  sensation  in  the  neighborhood. 
No  record  of  a  deed  from  Crosby  can  be  found  ;  but  Thomas  Marrit,  one 
of  the  early  settlers  of  Cambridge,  was  in  possession  of  the  property  in 
1663.  From  his  will  and  inventory  it  appears  that  he  held  a  good  deal  of 
land  in  this  part  of  the  town,  the  West  End  and  West  fields,  and  it  was 
probably  from  his  great-grandson  Amos  J  that  Colonel  Vassall,  nearly  a  cent- 
ury later,  bought  the  land  that  so  long  bore  the  name  of  Vassall.  The  last 
clause  of  Thomas  Marrit's  will,  dated  October  15,  1663,  is  as  follows  :  — 

"  To  the  children  of  my  sonne  George  Bastow  I  do  give  and  bequeath  in 
full  of  what  I  stand  engaged  to  them  fifty-two  pounds,  on  payment  whereof 
they  shall  give  my  executor  a  full  and  final  discharge,  and  for  the  payment 
thereof  this  house  and  land  wherein  my  sonne  John  Marrit  lives  to  my  friend 
Roger  Bancroft  to  stand  engaged  on  payment  of  the  debt  and  legacy.  He 
may  sell  or  dispose  of  the  said  House  and  land  as  he  shall  please  ;  finally  I 
do  nominate  and  appoint  my  sonne  John  Marrit  sole  executor  to  this  my  last 
will  and  Testament."  In  the  inventory  that  follows  the  first  entry  is  "The 
dwelling  house  and  outhouses  orchard  and  upland  and  meadow  and  marsh 
and  the  Wold  adjoining  ^90  oo  oo."  The  seventh  "  The  dwelling  house 
and  outhouses  that  was  Roger  Bancroft's  and  eight  acres  of  land  ^50  oo  oo." 
Thomas  Marrit  died  in  1664;  and  September  21,  1665,  John  Marrit  con- 
veyed to  Jonathan  Remington  "one  messuage  or  tenement  in  Cambridge 
containing  one  dwelling  house,  outhouses  and  barns  and  five  acres  of  land 
adjoining  thereto."  From  the  boundaries  given  in  this  deed  the  lot  front- 
ing on  the  Watertown  Road  extended  from  the  western  line  of  the  present 
row  of  old  hawthorns  and  lindens  to  what  is  now  Ash  Street,  excepting  a 
half -acre  house  lot 2  at  that  corner,  and  southerly  nearly  to  the  marsh. 

Ash  Street,  once  called  Bath  Lane,  but  previously  known  as  the  highway 
to  Windmill  Hill,  was  the  northwestern  boundary  of  the  palisado  which  the 
Court  voted  in  1632  to  erect  about  "the  New-Towne."  This  protection 
against  the  wild  inhabitants  of  the  land  commenced  at  Brick  Wharf,  says 
Holmes,  then  called  Windmill  Hill.  About  thirty  years  ago  a  mound  was 
plainly  visible  at  the  corner  of  Bath  Lane,  and  the  back  road  to  Mount  Au- 
burn, which  was  known  to  the  young  people  of  the  writer's  generation  as 
the  Old  Fort.  When  the  street  was  straightened  in  1844,  and  the  present 
proprietor  bought  a  corner  of  the  land  and  removed  his  fence,  the  founda- 
tion of  this*  fortification  was  uncovered  revealing  a  built  up  wall  of  stones. 
The  house  erected  by  Abel  Stevens  in  1874  now  occupies  the  spot. 

1  A  grandson,  Amos  Marrit,  is  mentioned  in  his  will. 

2  Then  the  premises  of  Nathaniel  Greene  and  Richard  Eccles. 


Governor  Belcher. 


95 


A  year  before  Jonathan  Remington  purchased  this  estate,  he  had  married 
Martha,  daughter  of  the  first  Andrew  Belcher  ;  in  this  house  it  is  probable 
that  most  of  their  married  life  was  passed  ;  he  was  town  clerk  and  treasurer 
of  Cambridge  for  many  years  ;  his  son,  Judge  Remington  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  was  eminent  in  his  generation,  and  the  daughter  of  the  latter  married 
Lieutenant-Governor  William  Ellery  of  Newport,  and  became  the  mother 
of  the  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  bearing  that  name. 

September  22,  1682,  Jonathan  Remington  conveyed  to  his  wife's  brother, 
Andrew  Belcher,  the  same  estate  for  ^120.  He  was  the  son  of  the  first 
Andrew  who  came  to  Cambridge,  and  was  a  shipmaster  and  merchant  of 
Boston.  He  was  called  "  an  ornament  and  blessing  to  his  country,"  for 
after  the  swamp  fight  in  King  Philip's  war,  December,  1675,  Captain  Belcher 
arrived  in  Narragansett  Bay  with  provisions,  and  thus  saved  the  troops  from 
perishing.  He  held  many  important  offices,  and  was  a  councillor  from  1702 
until  his  death  in  1717.  In  1700,  he  gave  a  bell  to  the  Cambridge  meeting- 
house, and  the  town  gave  the  "  old  bell  to  the  Farmers."  1 

At  the  death  of  Captain  Belcher,  this  estate  was  inherited  by  his  only 
son,  Jonathan,2  who  was  royal  governor  of  Mas- 
sachusetts and  New  Jersey  for  twenty-seven 
years.  When,  in  1730,  he  received  his  first  ap- 
pointment in  England,  Dr.  Isaac  Watts  ad- 
dressed to  him  an  adulatory  poem,  some  lines 
of  which  are  said  to  be  so  extravagant  as  to 
border  on  impiety.  His  arrival  at  Boston  with 
his  commission,  was  hailed  with  the  greatest 
joy.  All  the  dignitaries  of  the  town  went  to 
escort  him  from  the  ship  ;  the  military  were  out 
in  full  force,  cannons  were  discharged,  the  tur- 
rets and  balconies  of  the  houses  were  covered 
with  flags  and  carpets,  while  the  shipping  in  the 
harbor  displayed  all  their  colors.  Twenty-five 
years  before  this  triumphant  entry  of  Governor 
Belcher  into  Boston,  the  newspaper  of  the  day  described  his  marriage  to 
Mary,  daughter  of  Lieutenant-Governor  William  Partridge  of  New  Hamp- 
shire. January  4,  1705-06,  he  was  met  at  Hampton  by  several  gentlemen  from 
Portsmouth,  and  was  accompanied  by  them  and  others  who  attended  him, 
and  arrived  the  same  night  in  order  to  celebrate  his  marriage  on  the  8th,  "  but 
at  the  motion  of  the  gentlemen  that  accompanied  him,"  the  marriage  took 
place  "  the  same  night  as  he  came  off  the  journey  in  liis  boots.  The  wedding 
was  celebrated  on  the  Tuesday  following  (January  8th),  when  there  was  a  no- 
ble and  splendid  entertainment  for  the  guests."  Why  this  unseemly  haste, 

1  Cambridge  Farms,  now  Lexington. 

1  For  much  of  the  following  account  of  Governor  Belcher,  I  am  indebted  to  the  MSS.  of  Rev.  J. 
L.  Sibley,  librarian  of  Harvard  University. 


THE  BELCHER  ARMS. 


96  The  Batchelder  House,  and  its  Owners. 

the  reporter  of  that  day  does  not  inform  us;  or  why  the  ceremony  should 
have  taken  place  on  Friday  evening,  after  a  long  day's  journey  from  Hamp- 
ton on  horseback,1  in  snowy  if  not  muddy  boots.  We  see  how  our  modern 
telegram  might  have  been  useful  here  in  notifying  expectant  Boston  friends 
that  the  marriage  had  taken  place  four  days  earlier  than  had  been  antici- 
pated. The  occasion  was  "  honored  with  the  discharge  of  the  great  guns 
of  the  fort ;  "  and  the  same  day,  it  being  the  one  which  had  been  "  designed 
for  the  marriage,  several  great  guns  were  discharged  at  his  father,  Captain 
Andrew  Belcher,  Esq.'s  Wharffe,  and.  aboard  several  ships "  at  Boston. 
Under  January  23,  1704-05,  Sewall  writes,  "Mr.  Jonathan  Belcher  and  his 
bride  dine  at  Lieutenant-Governor  Usher's.  Came  to  town  at  six  o'clock 
—  about  twenty  horsemen,  three  coaches  and  many  slays."  2  The  grandeur 
of  the  bridal  occasion  was  only  equalled  by  Mrs.  Belcher's  funeral,  in  1736, 
at  which  it  is  related  one  thousand  pairs  of  gloves  were  given  away. 

Governor  Belcher  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  colleges,  first  of  Massa- 
chusetts and  afterwards  of  New  Jersey.  His  reply  to  the  clergy  on  his 
Sunday  at  Boston  in  1730,  bore  testimony  to  his  attachment  to  his  Alma 
Mater.  He  first  met  its  officers  9th  September,  1730,  the  day  of  the  assem- 
bly at  Cambridge  of  a  prorogued  legislature.  He  was  "  guarded  into  town 
by  a  military  troop,  then  waited  on  by  two  foot  companies."  In  his  speech 
to  the  General  Court  he  puts  them  "  in  mind  of  the  happiness  peculiar  to  this 
Province,  in  the  early  care  our  Fathers  took  for  a  liberal  and  pious  Educa- 
tion of  their  Posterity  by  founding  of  a  College,"  and  assures  them  he 
"  shall  gladly  embrace  every  opportunity  they'l  put  in  "  his  "  power  of 
nourishing  that  seminary  of  Rilegion  and  Learning."  When  he  "  had  done 
with  ye  Court  for  ye  forenoon  and  been  a  while  at  Mr.  [tutor]  Flynt's  cham- 
ber ye  Bell  tolled,  ye  scholars  assembled  in  ye  Hall,  his  Excellency  &  ye 
Corporation  went  in,  Mr.  Holly  made  a  Latin  oration,  his  Excellency  made 
a  very  handsome  Answer  in  Latin.  This  done  his  Excellency,  his  Majes- 
tie's  Council,  ye  Corporation,  Tutors,  Professors,  with  sundry  Gentlemen 
dined  in  the  Library ;  ye  Masters  at  College  were  not  invited  'twas  feared 
there  would  not  be  room  for  them." 

In  a  speech  to  the  legislature,  i6th  December,  1730,  he  says,  "When  you 
consider  what  a  diffusive  Blessing  the  College  has  been  to  this  Country,  in 
its  Learning  and  Religion,  and  how  much  all  the  Estates  among  you  have 
been  rais'd  in  their  Value,  and  that  while  other  Plantations  are  oblig'd  to 
send  their  sons  abroad  for  Education  at  a  great  expence,  and  often  to  ruin 
of  their  Morals,  we  reap  that  advantage  at  home  ;  I  say  I  hope  these  things 

1  It  may  be  possible,  but  hardly  probable,  that  this  journey  was  performed  in  sleighs. 

2  "  The  arms  of  the  United  States,  viz.,  '  Pales  of  thirteen  argent  and  gules,  a  chief  azure,'  bear  a 
stronger  resemblance  to  the  arms  of  Belcher  than  they  do  to   those  of  Washington.    The  colors  in- 
deed are  different,  and  the  number  of  pales  is  doubled,  yet  the  principle  of  the  two  coats  is  identical. 
The  Washington  arms  are  as  different  as  possible,  having  bars  instead  of  pales,  and,  although  our  na- 
tional flag  may  be  founded  on  the  Washington  arms,  our  national  seal  is  not."  —  Hist,  and   Gen. 
Reg.  vol.  xxvii.  p.  244. 


John    Vassall  buys  the  House.  97 

will  make  you  ready  on  all  occasions  to  nourish  and  cherish  that  society. 
And  what  I  would  particularly  point  at  is  the  Complaint  of  the  sons  of  the 
prophets  that  they  are  straitned  for  room  I  am  told  that  S  tough  ton  College 
is  gone  much  to  decay,  and  not  without  danger  of  falling  I  should  be  there- 
fore glad  that  a  committee  of  this  Court  might  be  chosen  to  view  it  and 
report  what  may  be  proper  to  be  done  for  the  better  accommodation  of  the 
students  there." 

Governor  Belcher  desired  that  his  remains  should  be  taken  from  New 
Jersey,  where  he  died,  to  Cambridge,  and  interred  by  the  side  of  his  dear 
friend  and  cousin,  Judge  Remington.  A  tomb  near  the  gatevyay  of  the 
graveyard  holds  the  ashes  of  these  eminent  men,  but  the  monument  or- 
dered to  be  erected  over  them  was  never  put  up.  The  estate,  held  by  Rem- 
ington for  seventeen  years,  and  by  the  Belchers  for  thirty-seven  years, 
united  as  they  were  by  the  closest  ties  of  blood  and  friendship,  may  well  be 
said  to  have  remained  in  one  family  for  over  half  a  century. 

December  i,  1719,  Jonathan  Belcher  conveyed  six  acres  of  land  with  the 
'"  dwelling  house,  barns,  outhouses,  edifices,  fences  &c.,"  to  John  Frizzle, 
for  £220.  He  was  an  eminent  merchant  of  Boston,  living  at  the  North  End, 
where  Frizzle's  Corner,  in  Garden  Street  between  North  and  Fleet  streets, 
long  commemorated  his  name.  In  1719,  he  gave  to  the  new  North  Church 
a  bell,  which,  though  of  small  size  and  disagreeable  sound,  was  used  until 
1802,  when  the  old  meeting-house  was  taken  down,  and  the  bell'sold  to  the 
town  of  Charlton,  Worcester  County.  Mr.  Frizzle  died  1723,  and  Dr.  Cot- 
ton Mather  preached  his  funeral  sermon  ;  nothing  is  to  be  learned  from  it, 
says  Drake,  except  that  he  was  an  honorable  merchant.  His  widow,  Doro- 
thy Frizzle,  married  Mr.  Saltonstall,  and  died  in  1733,  leaving  ^200  to  the 
poor  of  Boston,  and  ,£20  to  be  laid  out  in  Bibles  and  Testaments,  to  be  dis- 
tributed among  poor  children.  The  estate  was  inherited  by  John  Frizzle, 
Jr.,  who  did  not  long  survive  his  mother,  as  his  widow  Mercy  conveyed, 
July  26,  1736,  to  John  Vassall,  "a  certain  messaugeor  tenement  containing  by 
estimation  six  acres  of  land  with  a  dwelling  house,  barn,  and  outhouses, 
thereon  standing,"  for  ^1,000.  When  the  elder  Frizzle  purchased  the  prop- 
erty in  1719,  an  ounce  of  silver  was  worth  I2s.  in  I736it  was  worth  27^. 
Some  antiquarians  think  that  the  Frizzles  built  an  entirely  new  house  upon 
the  land,  but  there  is  no  evidence  that  the  original  house  was  destroyed, 
though  if  part  of  it  was  left  standing,  it  was  much  enlarged,  altered,  and 
modernized  !  It  is  evident  to  the  present  occupants  that  the  eastern  part 
of  the  house  was  added  about  this  period  ;  the  original  foundation  can  be 
seen  in  the  cellar,  excluding  that  portion.  The  rooms  are  higher  studded  in 
the  new  part,  and  the  woodwork  more  elaborate,  but  the  chimneys  are  laid 
in  clay,  which  is  said  to  denote  the  period  before  the  introduction  of  lime. 
It  will  be  observed  that  in  each  deed  nearly  the  same  words  are  used  to 
describe  the  estate  as  in  that  of  1665,  "  dwelling-house,  out-houses,  and 
barns,"  which  prove  that  it  was  then  a  building  of  some  pretensions.  From 
7 


gS  The  BatcJielder  House,  and  its  Owners. 

careful  data  gathered  by  the  present  occupants,  the  oldest  part  of  the  house 
is  the  western  end,  which  once  consisted  of  the  entry  and  three  rooms  on 
the  lower  floor ;  the  one  on  the  left  of  the  entrance  was  a  small  sitting-room, 
with  two  windows  looking  on  the  King's  highway,  while  the  window  on  the 
left  of  the  door  facing  the  paved  court,  lighted  a  pantry  with  oaken  dressers, 
and  a  broad  oak  shelf  stretched  across  the  window-sill  for  a  punch-bowl, 
from  whence  many  a  stirrup-cup  was  doubtless  drunk. 

Over  the  fire-place  in  this  sitting-room  was  a  panel,  which  opened  out- 
wards, the  depth  of  the  chimney  being  sufficient,  to  conceal  a  man,  as  well 
as  papers  and  treasure.  Within  the  remembrance  of  the  writer,  this  fire- 
place and  panel  were  taken  out,  when  pantry  and  sitting-room  were  thrown 
into  one.  In  the  early  times  the  kitchen  was  on  the  right  of  the  entrance 
hall,  and  only  of  one  story.  In  1842,  when  the  plastering  of  the  chamber  over 
it  had  to  be  renewed,  the  old  weather  boarding  was  exposed,  showing  that 
for  a  long  series  of  years  it  had  been  acted  upon  by  the  stern  winters  and 
hot  summers  of  a  New  England  climate,  unprotected  by  shingles,  clapboard, 
or  paint.  The  size  of  the  kitchen  chimney  now  encased  in  the  wall,  recalls 
the  times  when  ox-teams  were  necessary  to  draw  the  logs  for  the  fire  ;  it  is 
eight  feet  long  and  eight  deep.  The  house,  though  of  wood,  is  filled  in  with 
brick,  and  last  year,  in  cutting  a  door  between  two  rooms,  a  well  laid  brick 
partition  wall  had  to  be  penetrated,  where  the  carpenter  expected  to  find 
only  a  thin  layer  of  lath  and  plaster.  At  what  date  the  third  room  on  the 
floor,  the  parlor,  was  enlarged,  we  have  no  means  of  knowing.  Nearly  fifty 
years  ago,  the  house  presented  a  more  venerable  appearance  than  now :  it 
was  rough  cast,  and  from  age  had  sunk  almost  below  the  level  of  the  road  ; 
it  was  raised  up,  and  a  new  layer  of  dressed  stone  put  under  it ;  over  a  foot 
of  earth  now  covers  a  handsome  pavement  of  beach  pebbles,  on  the  east 
and  south  sides  of  the  house  ;  and  the  southwestern  wing  containing  the 
kitchen  and  offices,  which  were  not  raised  with  the  main  building,  remains  to 
prove  the  level  of  the  old  house. 

We  now  return  to  1736,  when  the  estate  passed  into  the  possession  of 
Colonel  John  Vassall,  to  whom  the  house  has  often  been  said  to  owe  its 
origin.  So  much  has  been  written  and  printed  about  the  Vassalls,  that  it 
need  only  be  stated  here,  that  they  were  an  important  family  in  Old  Eng- 
land, and  early  connected  with  the  settlement  of  New  England.  They 
owned  large  plantations  in  the  British  West  Indies,  and  several  fine  estates 
in  Boston  and  its  vicinity.  It  may  be  well  to  correct  here  a  false  impres- 
sion that  has  prevailed,  that  some  of  the  Vassall  family  had  held  the  lands 
known  by  their  name,  from  the  early  settlement  of  Cambridge  ;  but  the 
first  of  their  property  here  was  this  purchased  of  Mrs.  Frizzle  in  1736,  and 
it  was  not  until  some  years  after  John  Vassall  had  soldlt  to  his  brother,  that 
he  bought  the  land  *  afterwards  known  as  the  Cragie  estate.  The  entire 
period  when  the  various  members  of  the  family  resided  in  this  town,  was 

1  A  part  of  it,  from  Amos  Marrit. 


Henry    Vassall  buys  tJie  House.  99 

less  than  forty  years,  but  the  impression  they  made  upon  the  age  yet  sur- 
vives. 

Colonel  John  Vassall,  one  of  seventeen  children,  married  Elizabeth,  daugh- 
ter of  Lieutenant-Governor  Phipps  ;  her  three  sisters  1  married  gentlemen  of 
distinction,  who  also  lived  in  Cambridge,  and  her  only  brother  resided  in 
the  old  house,  still  standing  in  Bow  and  Arrow  streets,  sometimes  called  the 
Winthrop  House.  It  was  no  doubt  the  family  interest  of  the  Phippses  in  this 
town  that  induced  Colonel  Vassall  to  settle  here.  Mrs.  Vassall  died  in 
1739,  a"d  it  was  tnis  breaking  up  of  his  family  that  caused  him  to  sell  the 
property  to  his  brother,  then  just  about  marrying  a  rich  lady,  also  from  the 
West  Indies. 

In  1741,  Colonel  Vassall  sold*  to  his  "brother  Henry,  now  residing  in 
Boston,  late  of  the  Island  of  Jamaica,  planter,  seven  acres  of  land,  be  it 
more  or  less,  with  a  dwelling-house,  barn,  and  out-houses  thereon  stand- 
ing ; "  then  follow  the  boundaries,  which  include  the  acre  and  a  half  now  the 
western  end  of  the  estate  on  Brattle  Street,  for  which  Colonel  Vassall  had 
obtained,  in  1737,  a  quitclaim  deed  from  the  heirs  of  Luxford  Patten,  for 
;£ioo.  The  planting  of  the  row  of  hawthorns  and  lindens  must  be  due  to 
an  older  owner  than  the  Vassalls,  as  it  marks  the  line  between  their  estate 
and  the  Luxfords,  and  was  doubtless  to  shield  the  Frizzles  from  neighbor- 
ing eyes,  for  a  house  once  stood  on  that  lot.  When  one  of  the  lindens 
died,  twenty-four  years  ago,  more  than  one  hundred  rings  were  counted  in 
its  trunk.  With  the  house  and  land,  Colonel  Vassal  sold  "  the  furniture, 
chariot,  four-wheeled  chaise,  two  bay  stone  horses,  and  two  black  geldings," 
for  ,£8,050.  At  this  period  an  ounce  of  silver  was  worth  255-.,  and  it  was  a 
season  of  great  commercial  prosperity.  It  is  stated  that  the  accounts  of  the 
wealth  of  Boston  and  the  vicinity  carried  home  by  the  English  officers  after 
the  taking  of  Louisburg  in  1745,  was  the  cause  of  the  taxation  of  the  Colo- 
nies which  resulted  in  their  loss  to  the  British  crown. 

In  1742,  soon  after  the  purchase  of  the  house  and  furniture,  Major  Henry 
Vassall  married  Penelope,  daughter  of  Isaac  Royall,  who  removed,  in  1737, 
from  Antigua  to  Medford,  and  built 8  a  fine  mansion,  which  is  still  standing 
there.  To  this  Cambridge  home  Penelope  Vassall  came  as  a  bride,  and  lived 
here  thirty-four  years.  Major  Vassall  bought  of  his  brother  John,  who  had 
made  the  purchase  in  1747,  the  half-acre  corner  on  Windmill  Lane,  and  prob- 
ably at  that  time  built  the  brick  wall,  which  has  so  long  been  a  landmark  to 
the  traveller  on  Brattle  and  Ash  streets.  Here  he  died  in  1769  and  was 
buried  in  his  tomb  under  Christ  Church,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  original 
founders. 

His  granddaughter,  Miss  Catherine  G.  Russell,  whom  the  writer  well  re- 

1  Mary  married  Judge    Richard    Lechmere ;    Rebecca,  Judge   Joseph    Lee ;   and   Sarah,  Andrew 
Boardman. 

1  It  has  often  been  said  and  printed,  that  he  gave  it. 
*  See  Drake's  Hittoric  Fields  and  Mansions,  p.  1 19. 


ioo  The  Batchelder  House,  and  its  Owners. 

members,  said  that  Major  Henry  Vassall  lived  in  the  house  twenty-seven 
years,  dying  here  in  1769,  and  that  his  widow  continued  to  reside  here  until 
the  Revolution.  Cambridge,  becoming  a  military  camp,  was  neither  a  pleas- 
ant nor  safe  residence  for  those  who  still  adhered  to  King  George,  so  that 
Madame  Vassall  departed  in  haste  for  Antigua  with  her  only  daughter,  the 
wife  of  Dr.  Charles  Russell  of  Lincoln.  They  left  so  hurriedly  as  to  carry 
off  a  young  girl  by  the  name  of  Moody,  a  relative  of  Sir  William  Pepperell, 
who  was  visiting  here,  and  whom,  on  account  of  the  state  of  the  country,  they 
were  unable  to  return  to  her  friends.  She  married  in  the  West  Indies,  and 
only  returned  to  New  England  on  a  visit  many  years  afterwards.  A  strong 
belief  prevails  in  Cambridge  that  a  subterranean  passage  connects  this  house 
with  Mr.  H.  W.  Longfellow's,  and  that  it  was  constructed  to  enable  the  two 
Vassall  families  to  visit  each  other  without  exposure  to  the  outside  world. 
Many  years  ago  the  writer  with  her  brothers  and  a  brother  of  the  Poet  made 
a  progress  through  the  cellars  in  a  vain  search  after  this  mysterious  and 
mythical  passage-way,  one  of  the  party  only  retaining  a  conviction  that  if 
a  walled-up  arch  of  solid  masonry  could  be  opened  the  entrance  might  be 
found.  The  story  that  this  house  is  haunted  has  been  current  for  several 
generations. 

"  All  houses  wherein  men  have  lived  and  died 
Are  haunted  houses." 

Popular  tradition  asserts  that  the  slaves  of  the  Vassalls  were  inhumanly 
treated.  There  seems  to  be  no  foundation  for  this  report,  and  there  is 
documentary  evidence  proving  Madame  Vassall's  kindness  in  paying  twenty 
pounds,  in  1722,  to  free  the  child  of  her  servant  Tony  from  slavery. 

Tony  Vassall,  as  he  was  called,  had  been  brought  from  Jamaica  when  a 
boy  by  one  of  the  family,  and  was  a  character  well  known  in  Cambridge,  for 
after  the  departure  of  his  mistress  he  and  his  wife  .Lucy  lived  many  years  on 
North  Avenue,  on  the  western  side  near  Wright  Street.  The  site  of  their 
house  is  still  marked  by  a  large  horse-chestnut  tree.  In  our  grandmother's 
days  he  kept  green  the  name  of  Vassall  by  his  tales  of  their  grandeur,  and  his 
own  by  relating  the  Apollo-like  style  in  which  he  drove  their  chariot  into 
Boston  on  week-days  and  to  Christ  Church,  Cambridge,  on  Sundays.  His 
mantle  fell  upon  his  son  Darby,  who  of  late  years  occasionally  came  out  to 
Cambridge  with  his  pass  from  Miss  Russell  to  entitle  him  to  honorable 
burial  in  the  tomb  of  his  old  mistress  ;  at  last  he  died  at  the  advanced  age 
of  ninety-two,  and  by  a  singular  coincidence  his  body  was  brought  out  for 
interment  on  the  centennial  anniversary  of  the  opening  of  the  church,  Oc- 
tober 15,  1861.  After  his  burial  the  tomb  was  to  be  forever  closed. 

"  At  her  head 
Lies  a  slave  to  attend  the  dead." 

This  estate,  contrary  to  the  generally  received  opinion,  was  never  confis- 
cated. At  the  breaking  out  of  hostilities  Mrs.  Vassall  had  been  for  many 
years  a  widow,  and  her  only  child  was  a  daughter,  so  that  they  could  have 


Sonnet  to  the  Old  House.  101 

taken  no  active  part  for  the  King.  After  her  departure  this  large  house 
with  its  numerous  rooms  became  the  head-quarters  of  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  army,  under  the  care  of  the  director-general,  Dr.  Benjamin 
Church.  Here  his  corps  of  surgeons  lived,  and  here,  probably,  many  a 
brave  man  wounded  at  Bunker  Hill  breathed  his  last.  Here  in  this  very 
room  may  he  have  penned  the  letter  the  discovery  of  which  caused  his  ar- 
rest. Here  in  this  house,  we  are  told  by  a  contemporary  letter,  was  he  con- 
fined, and  corroborating  evidence  is  found  on  the  door  of  this  room  where 
I  write  :  "  B.  Church,  Jr.,"  is  still  visible  deeply  cut  in  the  wood,  though  for  a 
century  successive  coats  of  paint  have  vainly  tried  to  conceal  or  to  obliterate 
the  name  of  a  traitor/  From  this  house,  one  hundred  years  ago,  was  he  taken 
in  a  chaise  (perhaps  one  of  Madame  Vassall's),  and  to  the  music  of  a  fife 
and  drum,  escorted  by  General  Gates  and  a  guard  of  twenty  men  to  the 
place  of  his  trial  in  Watertown  meeting-house,  where  he  was  sentenced  to 
imprisonment  in  a  distant  town,  which  was  afterwards  commuted  to  trans- 
portation for  life.  The  ship  in  which  he  sailed  for  the  West  Indies  was 
supposed  to  have  gone  down  with  all  on  board. 

After  the  Revolution,  the  rights  of  Mrs.  Vassall,  and  the  mortgages  with 
which  the  property  was  burdened,  were  purchased  by  Nathaniel  Tracy  of 
Newburyport,  who  also  owned  and  occupied  the  estate  of  John  Vassall  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  road,  where  he  resided  in  great  state  for  a  few 
years.  This  house  was  then  occupied  by  Fred.  Geyer,  whose  daughter, 
Marianne,  married  Andrew,  the  grandson  of  Governor  Belcher,  and  his 
only  representative  in  the  male  line. 

In  1792,  Andrew  Cragie  bought  the  whole  property,  and  soon  after  Bos- 
senger  Foster,  his  brother-in-law,  removed  from  Boston  and  occupied  this 
house.  The  children  of  Mr.  Foster  were  Andrew  Cragie's  heirs,  and  after 
his  death,  in  1821,  on  the  division  of  his  estate  that  was  not  subject  to  dower, 
lot  No.  i,  the  seven  acres  of  Major  Henry  Vassall,  and  the  house,  fell 
to  Elizabeth  Foster,  then  the  wife  of  Judge  Samuel  B.  Haven,  of  whom  the 
present  owner  purchased  it  in  1841. 

I  cannot  more  appropriately  close  this  article  than  with  the  following  son- 
net, recently  written  in  the  album  of  one  of  the  young  people  of  the 
family  :  — 

"  Old  house,  left  standing  in  the  garden  bed, 

Whispering  memories  of  heroic  days  ; 

Idly  I  stand,  and  from  thy  window  gaze 
On  trains  that  creep  to  city  of  the  dead. 
Idly  stood  Church  and  leaned  his  heavy  head 

On  window  panes,  that  shut  him  from  the  sight 

Of  rolls  of  honor,  where  men's  names  were  bright, — 
—  He  scratched  his  name  on  prison-door  instead. 
The  dead  are  dead,  of  body  or  of  name 


102 


The  Batchelder  House,  and  its  Owners. 

The  grave  holds  dust,  and  on  the  record  lies 
The  deadly  story  of  the  name  that  di.es. 
The  living  live,  —  on  earth,  aspiring  flame, 

In  heaven,  as  stars  that  light  us  from  the  skies. 
Old  house  !  through  thee  their  image  fills  our  eyes. 


ENGLISH    LETTER.     APRIL,    1775. 

From  the  Sparks  Cabinet,  at  Gore  Hall,  belonging  to  William  Eliot  Sparks. 

A  Circumstantial  Account  of  an  Attack  that  happened  on  the  igth  of  April 
1775,  on  his  Majesty's  Troops,  by  a  Number  of  the  People,  of  the  Province 
L  of  Massachusetts  Bay. 

ON  Tuesday,  the  18  of  April,  about  half  past  roth  at  night  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Smith  of  the  loth  Regiment,  embarked  from  the  Common  at 
Boston,  with  the  Grenadiers  and  Light-Infantry,  of  the  Troops  there,  and 
landed  on  the  Opposite  side,  from  whence  he  began  his  march  towards  Con- 
cord, where  he  was  ordered  to  destroy  the  Magazine  of  Military  Stores 
deposited  there  for  the  use  of  an  Army  to  be  Assembled  in  Order  to  act 
against  his  Majesty  and  his  Gouernment,  the  Colonel  called  his  Officers 
together  and  gave  orders  that  the  troops  should  not  fire,  unless  fired  upon, 
and  after  Marching  a  few  Miles. —  Detached  six  Companies  of  light  In- 
fantry under  the  Command  of  Major  Pitcairn  to  take  possession  of  two 
Bridges  on  the  other  side  of  Concord,  Soon  after  they  heard  many  signal 
Guns,  and  the  ringing  of  Alarm  Bells  repeatedly,  which  convinced  them  that 
the  Country  was  rising  to  oppose  them,  and  that  it  was  a  preconcerted 
Scheme  to  oppose  the  King's  Troops,  wheneuer  there  should  be  a  favorable 
opportunity  for  it.  About  three  O'Clock  the  next  Morning,  the  Troops 
being  advanced  within  two  Miles  of  Lexington,  intelligence  was  received 
that  about  500  Men  in  Arms  were  Assembled  and  determined  to  oppose  the 
King's  Troops,  and,  on  Major  Pitcairn  Galloping  up  to  the  Head,  of  the 
advanced  Companies,  two  Officers  informed  him,  that  a  Man  (advanced  from 
those  that  were  Assembled)  had  presented  his  Musquet  and  attempted  to 
shoot  them,  but  the  Piece  flashed  in  the  pan.  —  On  this  the  Major  gave 
directions  to  the  Troops  to  move  forward,  but  on  no  Account  to  fire,  nor 
even  to  attempt  it  without  orders.  When  they  Arrived  at  the  end  of  the 
Village  they  observed  about  200  armed  Men  drawn  up  on  a  Green,  and  when 
the  Troops  came  within  100  yards  of  them,  they  began  to  file  off  towards 
some  stone  walls  on  their  right  Flank  :  The  light  Infantry  observing  this, 
ran  after  them,  the  Major  instantly  called  to  the  Soldiers  not  to  fire,  but  to 
Surround  and  disarm  them,  some  of  whom  had  jumped  over  a  Wall,  then 
fired  4  or  5  shot  at  the  Troops.  Wounded  a  Man  of  the  lo'h  Regiment, 


104  English  Letter. 

and  the  Major  Howe  in  two  places,  and  at  the  same  time  Several  Shots 
were  fired  from  a  Meeting-House  on  the  left,  Upon  this,  without  any  order 
or  regularity  the  Light  Infantry  began  a  Scattered  Fire,  and  Killed  seu- 
eral  of  the  Country  People,  but  were  Silenced,  as  soon  as  the  Authority  of 
the  Officers  could  make  them. 

After  this  Colonel  Smith  Marched  up  with  the  remainder  of  the  detach- 
ment, and  the  whole  Body  proceeded  to  Concord,  where  they  Arrived  about 
Nine  O'Clock,  without  any  thing  further  happening  ;  but  vast  Numbers  of 
.  Armed  People  were  seen  Assembling  on  all  the  heights,  While  Colonel 
Smith  with  the  Grenadiers  and  part  of  the  Light  Infantry,  remained  at  Con- 
cord to  search  for  Cannon  &c  there,  he  detached  Captain  Parsons,  with  six 
light  Companies  to  secure  a  Bridge  at  some  Distance  from  Concord,  and  to 
proceed  from  thence  to  certain  houses  where  it  was  supposed  there  was 
Cannon  &  Ammunition,  Capt.  Parsons,  in  pursuance  of  these  Orders,  posted 
three  Companies  at  the  Bridge,  and  on  some  heights  near  it,  under  the 
Command  of  Captain  Laurie  of  the  43d  Regiment,  and  with  the  remainder 
went  and  destroyed  some  Cannon  Wheels,  Powder  and  Ball. 

The  People  still  continued  encreasing  on  the  Heights,  and  in  about  an 
Hour  after,  a  Large  Body  of  them  began  to  Move  towards  the  Bridge,  the 
light  Companies  of  the  4th- &  Ioth  then  descended  and  joined  Captain  Lau- 
rie, the  People  continued  to  Advance  in  great  Numbers,  and  fired  upon  the 
King's  Troops,  Killed  three  men,  Wounded  four  Officers,  one  Sergeant, 
and  four  Privates,  upon  which  (after  returning  the  fire)  Captain  Laurie  and 
his  Officers,  thought  it  prudent  to  retreat  towards  the  main  Body  at  Con- 
cord, and  were  soon  joined  by  two  Companies  of  Grenadiers  ;  when  Cap- 
tain Parsons  returned  with  the  three  Companies  over  the  Bridge,  they  ob- 
served three  Soldiers  on  the  Ground,  one  of  them  Scalped,  his  head  much 
Mangled,  and  his  ears  cut  off,  tho'  not  quite  Dead :  a  sight  which  struck 
the  Soldiers  with  horror :  Captain  Parsons  Marched  on  and  Joined  the  Main 
Body,  who  were  only  waiting  for  his  coming  up  to  March  back  to  Boston. 
Colonel  Smith  had  executed  his  Orders,  without  opposition,  by  destroying 
all  the  Military  Stores  he  could  find  ;  both  the  Colonel,  and  Major  Pitcairn 
having  taken  all  possible  pains  to  convince  the  Inhabitants  that  no  Injury 
was  intended  them,  and  that  if  they  Opened  their  doors  when  required  to 
search  for  said  Stores,  not  the  Slightest  mischief  should  be  done,  neither 
had  any  of  the  People  the  least  occasion  to  Complain  ;  but  they  were 
Sulky,  and  one  of  them  euen  struck  Major  Pitcairn. —  Except  upon  Captain 
Laurie  at  ye  Bridge  no  Hostilities  happened,  from  the  Affair  at  Lexington, 
until  the  Troops  began  their  March  back.  —  As  soon  as  the  Troops  had  got 
out  of  the  Town  of  Concord  they  received  a  heavy  fire  on  them  from  all 
sides,  from  Walls.  Fences.  Houses.  Trees.  Barns.  £c.  which  continued 
without  intermission,  till  they  Met  the  first  Brigade,  with  two  field  Pieces, 
near  Lexington,  Ordered  out,  under  the  Command  of  Lord  Percy,  to  sup- 
port them  ;  advice  having  been  receiued  about  seuen  O'Clock  next  Morn- 


English  Letter.  105 

ing,  that  Signals  had  been  made,  and  expresses  gone  out  to  alarm  the 
Country,  and  that  the  People  were  rising  to  attack  the  Troops  under  Colonel 
Smith  :  Upon  the  Firing  of  the  Field  Pieces,  the  People's  Fire  was  for 
a  while  silenced,  but  as  they  still  continued  to  increase  greatly  in  Num- 
bers they  fired  again  as  before  from  all  Places  where  they  could  find  cover, 
upon  the  whole  Body,  and  continued  so  doing  for  the  space  of  15  miles. 
Notwithstanding  their  numbers,  they  did  not  attack  openly  during  the  whole 
Day,  but  kept  under  couer  on  all  occasions.  The  Troops  were  uery  much 
fatigued,  the  greater  part  of  them  having  been  under  Arms  all  Night  and 
made  a  March  of  upwards  of  40  Miles  before  they  arrived  at  Charlestown, 
from  whence  they  were  ferryed  over  to  Boston.  — 

The  Troops  had  above  Fifty  Killed,  and  many  more  wounded.  Reports 
are  various  about  the  loss  sustained  by  the  Country  People  Some  make 
it  uery  considerable,  others  not  so  much. 

Thus  this  unfortunate  Affair  has  happened  thro'  the  rashness  and  impu- 
dence of  a  few  People  who  began  firing  on  the  Troops  at  Lexington.  —  Con' 
tributedby  MRS.  M.  C.  SPARKS. 


LETTERS  OF   EDMUND   QUINCY. 

Furnished  by  Miss  Donnison.  f 

LAN*  June  18,  1776  — 
To  YE  REVD  MR.  JACOB  BIGELOW. 

Dr.  Sir.  I  reed  y  favor  of  ye  5th  a  few  days  since  &  am  pleased 
with  hearing  Mrs.  B.  is  satisfied  with  Eunice  l  her  conduct  :  &  hope  may 
continue,  &  that  Mrs.  B.  will  testify  her  regards  in  suitable  instruction  of 
a  spiritual  as  well  as  temporal  nature,  &  thereby  increase  her  expected 
serviceableness  —  I'm  disappointed  in  ye  girl's  failing  in  ye  faculty  of  milk- 
ing wh  she  was  used  to  at  Mr.  B's  :  possibly  instruction  and  practise  may 
conquer  the  difficulty.  Labor  improbus  ornnia  vincit — you'll  suppose,  as  I 
do,  ye  Girl  will  want  some  supply  of  money,  I  ask  ye  favor  of  Mrs.  B  to  see 
that  the  most  prudent  application  be  made.  We  are  now  publicly  alarmed 
with  the  B.  naval  &  land  force  expected  ag'  ye  city  &  county  of  N.  Y : 
perhaps  it  may  be  begun  ;  it  will,  I  hope,  under  ye  irresistible  decrees  of 
D  :  P  :  prove  ye  means  of  opening  ye  eyes  of  ye  B.  Court  &  nation,  & 
even  of  flashing  conviction  before  them,  that  there  is  an  impregnable  Bar- 
rier now  raised  &  fix*  between  their  cruel  as  well  as  hostile  designs,  and 
the  late  feeble  &  unprepared  Col°  of  America  — wh.  I  think  by  the  will  of 
Heaven  are  fast  rising  into  States,  wh.  under  ye  protection  of  ye  God  of  Ar- 
mies, may  become  objects  of  ye  closest  European  attention  &  commercial 
attraction  :  and  these  things  seem  not  to  be  very  distant. 

The  probability  of  a  full  native  supply  of  every  needed  warlike  article  of 
defence  by  sea  &  land  is  a  distinguishing  circumstance,  wh.  ye  nations  will 
early  mark  out.  As  a  fundamental  cause  of  ye  future  growth  of  ye  No.  A. 
States  :  &  ye  strife  will  be,  wh.  European  powers  will  avail  themselves  most 
of  their  future  commerce,  should  ye  Fla.  of  war  be  confined  to  Europe, 
each  will  be  fond  of  furnishing  their  manufrs  to  these,  as  they  suppose, 
unprovided  &  incapable  Americans  :  but  on  ye  other  hand,  ye  latter,  if 
not  blinded,  will  choose  &  labor  to  provide  themselves  with  materials  & 
manufactures  as  fast  as  they  need  them  :  for  every  needed  community,  & 
as  to  ye  superfluous,  it  is  to  be  supposed,  that  each  state,  will  by  law,  discour- 
age ye  importation  by  heavy  duties  — Altho.  we  have  a  country,  (I  mean  the 

1  A  colored  woman  owned  by  E.  Q. 


Letter  to  John  Hancock.  107 

United  Provinces)  capable  of  almost  every  European  production  & 
abounding  in  more  extensive  native  productions  than  any  K.  dom  &  per- 
haps all  in  Europe,  we  must,  nevertheless,  endeavor  to  imitate  the  wise  ex- 
ample of  ye  7  United  provs  of  Holld  after  ye  revolt  from  Spain  &  during 
their  30  years  war  with  that  then  powerful  Kingdom. 

We  must  promote  agriculture,  manufactures,  industry  &  economy  & 
above  all  cultivate  Religion  &  Virtue  May  the  Giver  of  peace  grant  these 
U.  States  a  series  of  peaceful  years  &  that  by  means  thereof  ye  American 
heathen  may  be  bro't  ye  saving  Knowledge  of  ye  True  God. 

These  will  even  be  ye  subject  of  ye  earnest  supplications  of  ye  faithful 
thro'  ys  gospelized  regions  of  No.  America. 

I  am  with  my  best  wishes  to  you  and  yr  household  Sir,  &c.  — 

P.  S.  By  last  advice  we  have  now  in  our  hands  abt,  700  of  those  Highland- 
ers wh  ye  Brit  Adm°»  at  an  immense  expense  deceived  last  year  with  a  promise 
of  their  being  sent  to  A.  to  take  possession  of  ye  evacuated  estates  of  those 
who  they  were  told  had  fled  back  100  miles  &  more  into  ye  wilderness, 
through  ye  terror  of  ye  Brit,  arms  &c.  wh  ye  Captives  now  acquaint  us 
with,  standing  astonished  at  y6  falsity  of  ye  facts  wh  they  were  made  to  be- 
lieve some  appearing  very  morose  under  ye  disapt  &  others  well  en°  satis- 
fied —  you'll  have  read  of  ye  absolute  refusal  of  ye  Ld  Howe  to  take  command 
of  ye  ministerial  naval  force  to  ye  sing1"  mortification  of  the  ministry  &  doubt- 
less of  their  Head.  It  is  improbable  his  lordship  was  of  opinion,  that  one 
Bror  was  enough  to  share  ye  Infamy  wh.  he  had  become  sensible  would 
prove  ye  result  of  ye  ministerial  proceedings  Pray  God  ye  final  issue  may 
graduate  with  his  Ldships  just  apprehension  !  However  it's  probable  he 
may  soon  have  work  nearer  home  as  they  are  doubtless  on  the  verge  of  a 
European  Breach  —  A  farmer  would  be  very  remarkable  who  would  set  his 
dogs  to  worry  his  sheep,  while  his  neighbors  cattle  were  breaking  into  his 
fields,  ye  fences  having  become  indefensible. 

LANR  June  24,  1776 

TO  THE    HBLE  J.   HANCOCK   ESQ. 

Dr  Sir.  I  hope  ere  this  Mr  Bant  with  my  Dr,K.  has  had  ye  pleasure 
of  seeing  you  &  Dr  H.  well  at  P.  By  ye  Contis  Lr  of  advice  to  ye  con- 
vent0 at  N.  Y.  we  are  daily  expecting  adv.  of  a  Mini  Fleet  &  army  being 
before  that  city  &  a  siege  begun.  Letters  from  H*  of  5th  currt  inform 
us  that  no  Fleet  had  arrived  there  to  that  day,  but  that  it  was  very  sickly  in 
ye  F  army  &  navy,  that  many  refugees  of  Yr<>  BO  had  died,  among  whra 
were  named  F  Lillie  &  wife  &  Mr.  J.  Fitch  his  eldest  dr  &  that  F  :  lay 
at  ye  point  of  death.  It  is  doubtless  a  very  mel'y  time  in  that  Asylum  of 
of  ye  B.  troops  &  th'  Frds  Yr  may  have  reed  odrs  fro  Europe  wh  may  give  you 
insight  into  the  causes  by  wh  ye  min'  proceedings  have  been  embap-d  & 
their  grand  Armament  delayed  —  here  we  are  left  to  our  own  conjectures. 


!O8  Letters  of-  Edmund  Quincy. 

you'll  be  advd  probably  ere  this  reaches  you,  that  by  batteries  at  length 
erected,  near  ye  entr  of  BO  Harbor  — Como  Bank's  ship  &  his  convoy  had 
been  obliged  to  make  a  precipitate  flight  abt  10  days  ago,  &  that  several 
ships  with  Highlanders  have  been  drove  and  carried  in  by  our  privateers, 
not  fewer  in  no.  than  4  or  500  — great  part  of  whom  have  been  bro't 
into  ye  several  towns  &  more  expected,  in  order  to  ease  ye  Cha.  of  their 
support  &  to  prevent  mischief.  It  is  expected  we  may  hear  of  more  arrivals 
of  troops  at  Bo  as  to  an  attack  upon  it,  I'm  not  much  concerned,  if,  as  I'm 
told  their  fortifications  are  compleated  in  a  defensible  manner. 

When  Commo  Banks  lay  in  the  harbour,  a  Contl  Privateer  having  been 
taken  &  bro't  under  his  care,  it  gave  occasion  for  a  Flag  of  truce  to*  go  on 
bord  for  exchange  of  prisoners  —  ye  business  being  ended,  ye  afflicted 
Commo  mentd  to  ye  Co.  ye  disastrous  att*  of  his  boats  on  Capt.  Muckford 
of  Mbh.  &  another  p.  of  only  7  men  on  board  —  He  told  them  he  had  lost 
63  of  his  best  offers  &  men  :  supposing  that  a  part  of  them  were  in  our 
hands,  &  said  he  hoped  they  treated  Lt  Banks  well.  They  replying  that 
they  had  heard  of  no  such  person  being  bro't  among  them,  B.  appeared 
vastly  concerned  saying  that  he  had  then  lost  his  brother  &  ist  Lt.  &  one 
of  his  best  off™  in  ye  navy  —  however  we  hear  a  corps  was  found  upon  the 
beach  some  days  since  &  supposed  to  be  that  of  ye  person  mentioned  by 
B. —  it  being  clad  well  with  a  pr.  of  pistols,  a  hanger,  some  money  in  ye 
pockets  &  a  gold  watch.  It  is  said  that  not  more  than  30  men  were  on 
board  the  2  privateers  wh.  if  fact,  &  also  that  they  were  unexpectedly  at- 
tackt  it  would  argue  much  courage  in  the  defenders,  one  of  wh  Capt.  B. 
told  them  he  wanted  to  know  the  name  of  as  having  proved  himself  a  bold 
&  stout  man,  in  beheading  one  of  his  boat's  crew  looking  over  the  gun- 
wale of  the  privateer  with  one  stroke  of  his  broad  sword  saying  to  y~  even 
in  ye  fisherman's  dialect,  "  I've  taken  off  his  head,  you  may  gut  him."  By 
such  men  ye  character  of  American  prowess  is  fast  advancing.  I  hear  by 
a  friend  from  B°  that  ye  Highlanders,  especially  ye  officers  may  have  ap- 
peared morose  &  ill  tempered  imagining  they  had  got  among  unpolished 
people  till  ye  funi  rites  were  prepared  of  their  Major  killed  by  one  of  the 
privateers,  who  was  decently  interred  by  milty  honor,  attended  by  a  no.  of 
our  offers  &  ye  inhabitants  —  after  which  these  strangers  seemed  to  think 
they  had  go  into  a  good  country  *  *  *  *  Io  guineas  a  head  were  paid  them 
at  listing,  after  6  mos.  imprisonment  they  were  embarqued  —  several  hun- 
dred deserted  after  enlistment  on  hearing  that  no  evacuation  of  Estates  had 
been  heard  of  in  it,  so  that  their  expectations  would  be  frustrated.  We  are 
still  without  any  certain  advice  how  things  stand  in  Canada,  but  we  are  too 
well  assured  of  some  of  ye  Mini  Cash  having  lately  operated  on  Sev'  of  ye 
Contl  officers  —  I  presume  ere  this  come  to  hand  ye  Congs  may  have  reed 
from  ye  sevrai  Colo  their  assent  to  a  speedy  Declaration  of  Independence 
upon  &  a  total  disconnection,  with  the  Gov.  of  G.  B.  • 


Letter  to  John  Hancock.  109 

I  hope  this  may  meet  you  in  ye  enjoyment  of  such  a  degree  of  health  as 
may  enable  you  to  sustain  ye  wgl  of  ye  present  public  incumbrance  — 
With  my  kind  regards  to  my  Daughters 

I  rem  very  sincerely  D.  Sir,  your 

Aff.  &  obliged  F«d  &  Fathr 

P.  S.  29  This  going  open  for  want  of  conv'y'nce  we  have  adv  from  N.  Y. 
of  more  than  loo  conspirators  there  in  Gaol  for  a  design  on  ye  Genls  life  & 
also  for  blowing  up  30  tuns  of  powder  —  a  plot  similar  to  that  of  1588  &  I 
think  a  similar  fate  ought  to  be  the  portion  of  ye  present  conspirators. 


THE  RIVER  CHARLES  IN  JUNE. 

BY  JAMES    RUSSELL   LOWELL. 

The  sliding  Charles, 

Blue  toward  the  West,  and  bluer  and  more  blue, 
Living  and  lustrous  as  a  woman's  eyes. 
Look  once  and  look  no  more,  with  southward  curve 
Ran  crinkling  sunniness,  like  Helen's  hair. 
Glimpsed  in  Elysium,  insubstantial  gold  ; 
From  blossom-clouded  orchards,  far  away 
The  bobolink  tinkled  ;  the  deep  meadpws  flowed 
With  multitudinous  pulse  of  light  and  shade 
Against  the  bases  of  the  southern  hills, 
While  here  and  there  a  drowsy  island  rick 
Slept  and  its  shadow  slept ;  the  wooden  bridge 
Thundered,  and  then  was  silent  ;  on  the  roofs 
The  sun-warped  shingles  rippled  with  the  heat ; 
Summer  on  field  and  hill,  in  heart  and  brain, 
All  life  washed  clean  in  this  high  tide  of  June. 

From  "  Under  the  Willows." 


OLD  CAMBRIDGE. 

Know  old  Cambridge  ?     Hope  you  do.  — 
Born  there  ?     Don't  say  so  !     I  was,  too  .... 
—  Nicest  place  that  ever  was  seen,  — 
Colleges  red,  and  Common  green, 
Sidewalks  brownish  with  trees  between. 
Sweetest  spot  beneath  the  skies 
When  the  canker-worms  don't  rise,  — 
When  the  dust,  that  sometimes  flies 
Into  your  mouth  and  ears  and  eyes, 
In  a  quiet  slumber  lies, 
Not  in  the  shape  of  unbaked  pies 
Such  as  barefoot  children  prize. 

DR.  O.  W.  HOLMES. 

Dear  native  town  !  whose  choking  elms  each  year 
With  eddying  dust  before  their  time  turn  gray, 

Pining  for  rain,  —  to  me  thy  dust  is  dear  ; 
It  glorifies  the  eve  of  summer  day, 

And  when  the  westering  sun  half-sunken  burns, 

The  mote-thick  air  to  deepest  orange  turns, 
The  westward  horseman  rides  through  clouds  of  gold  away. 

JAMES  RUSSELL  LOWELL. 


THE  OLD  COURT  HOUSE. 

BY  JOHN   HOLMES. 

THE  old  Court  House,  which  stood  on  the  site  of  the  present  Lyceum, 
was  built  from  the  timbers  of  the  meeting-house  which  was  replaced 
in  1756  by  that  which  was  demolished  in  1833. 1 

The  beams,  joists,  and  rafters  which  had  so  often  heard  the  Law  and  its 
works  depreciated  from  a  theological  point  of  view,  were  now  to  recognize 
the  Law  in  another  sense,  as  the  stern  presiding  spirit  of  the  place.  They 
were  now  to  see  whether  the  people  would  in  this  transformed  building,  at- 
tend as  strictly  to  their  temporal  interests  as  they  had  before  done  to  their 
spiritual. 

While  the  colonial  dependence  lasted,  it  would  seem  that  the  judges  of 
the  Superior  Court,  coming  to  hold  their  sessions  here,  were  received  at  the 
county  or  town  line  by  the  sheriff  and  attendant  gentlemen,  and' escorted  in 
state  to  their  lodgings,2  which,  in  this  case,  being  interpreted,  probably 
means  Bradish's  Tavern,  on  the  present  Brighton  Street.  If  we  listen,  we 
hear  break  on  the  quiet  of  the  past,  the  rumble  of  wheels  and  the  thump  of 
hoofs  making  mild  thunder  on  Brighton  Bridge.  While  Cambridge  was  yet 
a  village,  this  was  the  sound  that  late  in  the  night  warned  the  wakeful  of  a 
new  arrival,  and  by  its  cadence,  allowed  him  to  guess  whether  it  were  the 
village  doctor  returning  from  a  call  extraordinary,  or  a  courier  panting  to  tell 
of  success  or  disaster  at  Lake  George. 

We  behold  the  commotion  as  of  to-day.  The  villagers  quit  their  gray, 
unpainted  houses,  as  if  they  were  in  flames.  Children  get  the  start.  Women 
peer  from  the  windows,  or  group  on  door-steps,  and  snatch  a  breath  of 
respite  from  their  unending  cares.  Austere  men  who  combat  the  world  and 
its  pleasures,  move  slowly  forth,  go  circuitously  and  drop  (as  it  were),  casu- 
ally and  unconsciously  into  the  throng.  Suitors  and  sued,  witnesses  sum- 
moned for  the  term,  amateurs  of  litigation  who  have  had  their  losses,  —  the 
many  who  love  the  mysteries  of  the  civil,  and  doat  on  the  dread  forms  of 
the  criminal  process,  —  poor  debtors,  who  "  swear  out"  from  time  to  time, 

1  Our  authority  is  the  Rev.  Lucius  R.  Paige,  who,  beside  other  motives,  has  now  that  of  selfc- 
defence,  to  finish  his  History  of  Cambridge,  so  numerous  are  the  local  questions  put  to  him  which  he 
kindly  answers. 

z  Wash  burn's  Judicial  History  of  Massachntettf. 


112  The  Old  Court  House. 

and  who  know  every  spider  in  the  Old  Jail  (near  Winthrop  Square),  and 
every  mullein  and  thistle  in  its  yard,  and  who,  from  long  habit,  scrutinize  the 
world  in  small  portions  as  through  grated  windows,  —  all  these  contribute 
to  the  variety  of  the  crowd. 

.The  "  Scholars  "  (to  use  the  popular  term  some  fifty  years  since)  are  hur- 
rying to  the  scene  of  action,  the  banyan  (such  as  Prescott  wore  at  Bunker 
Hill)  floating  wide  behind  them  as  they  run.  This  garment,  a  long  calico 
dressing-gown,  was  still  popular  in  summer  so  late  as  1820. 

Bradish  stands  at  his  door,  grave  and  portly.  His  cue,  newly  bound  with 
black  ribbon,  hangs  perpendicular,  like  a  pendulum  stopped  by  earthquake. 

What  ceremonies  attended  the  opening  of  the  court  we  cannot  say,  but 
the  judges  doubtless  wore  their  "robes  of  scarlet  English  cloth,  their  broad 
bands,  and  their  immense  judicial  wigs,"1  and  probably  the  barristers  ap- 
peared "  in  their  bands,  gowns,  and  tyewigs."  2 

We  think  we  may  have  beheld  the  "  last  attenuation  "  of  judicial  pomp, 
in  seeing  the  late  Chief  Justice  Shaw  going  from  the  court  to  his  dinner, 
accompanied  (not  preceded)  by  the  sheriff  alone.  The  latter  carried  in  an 
easy  way  a  long,  light  wand  (using  it,  we  think,  somewhat  like  a  cane),  in 
which  lay,  we  suppose,  like  latent  caloric,  the  protective,  vindictive,  and 
remedial  power  of  the  Commonwealth. 

Here  Sevvall,  Hutchinson,  and  Lynde  presided,  and  here  attended  the  great 
colonial  lawyers,  Pratt,  Gridley,  Trowbridge,  and  the  rest.  Special  plead- 
ing was  in  its  full  vigor.  It  was  a  stern,  compulsory  system  of  statement 
and  argument,  designed  to  lead  by  the  shortest  way,  to  an  issue  of  law  or 
fact,  to  be  decided  by  the  Court  or  the  jury.  No  such  theory,  submitted  to 
the  working  of  strong  hands,  fails  to  be  more  or  less  warped  out  of  shape, 
and  this  had  undoubtedly  its  share  of  subtlety  and  finesse.  If  one  of  those 
old  law  practitioners  were  compelled  to  revisit  earth  for  a  term,  he  would  find 
no  better  reading  than  the  "  quiddits  and  quillets,"  filed  in  our  Court  House 
at  that  day. 

The  lawyers  were  then,  as  they  are  now,  the  gladiators  of  a  better  civil- 
ization. 

After  the  Revolution,  Chief  Justices  Dana  and  Parsons  presided  here  at 
the  sessions  of  the  Supreme  Court.  The  latter  lodged  during  the  session 
at  a  house,  which,  if  it  were  standing,  would  be  the  third  building  on  the 
left-hand  side  of  Brighton  Street,  north  from  Mount  Auburn  Street.  Here 
the  great  lawyer  diverted  himself  in  the  evening,  with  what  other  men 
might  deem  labor.  An  old  member  of  the  bar  who  lodged  here  has  often 
told  us.with  complacency  of  his  evening  colloquies  with  the  Chief  Justice. 
Dexter,  H.  G.  Otis,  and  other  well  known  lawyers  represented  the  new 
republican  bar. 

In  or  about  1815,  the  courts  were  removed  to  East  Cambridge,  and  the 
Court  House  ceased  from  its  former  functions. 

1  John  Adams,  from  Wasliburn's  Judicial  History  of  Massachusetts.  2  Same. 


The  Citizens'  Patrol.  1 1 3 

The  Court  of  Probate  was  still  occasionally  held  here  by  the  late  Judge 
Fay. 

Town  meetings,  which  had  been  held  here  for  an  indefinite  time,  were,  in 
1831.,  transferred  to  the  then  new  City  Hall,  on  Main  Street,  in  Cambridge- 
port. 

When  the  division  took  place  in  the  First  Parish,  the  Court  House  was 
occupied  for  Sunday  worship  until  the  Orthodox  Church  on  Mount  Auburn 
Street  was  completed. 

Lyceum  lectures  and  debates  were  begun  here  about  1830,  and  held  their 
ground  with  very  considerable  tenacity.  The  public  finally  became  satiated 
and  dropped  off  in  something  like  a  comatose  state.  The  great  variety  of 
subjects,  and  the  distractions  of  a  social  surrounding,  left,  it  is  to  be  feared, 
a  rather  nebulous  result  on  the  general  mind. 

Cambridge  had  been  for  many  years  remarkably  exempt  from  fires.  From 
near  1812,  we  recall  from  hearsay  or  observation,  no  serious  fire.  The 
town  therefore  was  obliged  to  borrow  its  excitement  on  this  score  from 
neighboring  calamities.  And  to  judge  by  the  demonstrations,  the  sufferers 
themselves  could  hardly  have  felt  the  situation  more  intensely  than  our 
citizens.  The  parish  bell  was  immediately  set  going,  nor  ceased  while  any 
faint  gleam  of  light  appeared  on  the  horizon.  Nearly  all  the  male  inhab- 
itants cried  fire  incessantly  for  some  half  hour.  The  "scholars  "  lent  their 
lungs  to  assist  the  town.  The  engine  rushed  madly  though  heavily  out 
into  space,  and  returned.  One  got  to  feel  as  if  this  were  a  beneficial  oper- 
ation. The  alarm  bell  actually  suggested  security.  When  it  rung  out  with 
the  greatest  vigor,  and  for  the  longest  time,  the  householder  knew  that  the 
fire  was  very  distant,  and  that  our  conscientious  citizens  could  not  relax 
their  efforts  while  the  flames  appeared,  or  were  reflected  on  the  sky. 

But  in  October,  1839,  a  fire  actually  occurred  within  our  own  precincts, 
which  consumed  three  houses  and  a  barn,  and,  as  usual,  threatened  much 
more  destruction.  At  the  beginning  of  the  following  winter,  a  suspicion 
arose  that  incendiaries  were  preparing  to  repeat,  on  a  comprehensive  scale, 
the  calamity  of  October. 

We  can  recollect  no  cause  assigned  for  the  new  alarm,  and  possibly  the 
imagination  worked  with  more  effect,  uncontrolled  by  specific  evidence.  It 
was  soon  found  that  a  citizens'  patrol  was  necessary  to  protect  the  town.  It 
was  arranged,  and  fixed  its  head-quarters  in  the  old  Court  House.  We  rec- 
ollect only  a  tendency  to  hilarity  that  pervaded  the  organization,  at  variance 
with  the  imminent  hazard  which  they  labored  to  avert.  Walking,  watch- 
ing, and  friendly  converse  occupied  the  midnight  hours.  Consciousness  of 
merit,  was  the  pure  and  honorable  reward  of  our  exertions.  No  refresh- 
ments were  furnished  to  dilute  or  vitiate  this  noble  sensation. 

We  infer  the  greatness  of^the  impending  danger,  from  the  great  and  gen- 
eral effort  made  to  avert  it.  And  it  is  a  memorable  fact,  that  so  extensive 
and  desperate  a  confederation  of  incendiaries  should  have  been  entirely 
8 


H4  The  Old  Court  House. 

crushed  by  our  demonstration.  Perfect  incombustibility  seemed  to  prevail 
during  this  period,  and  in  a  community,  too,  where  one  man  in  twenty  was  a 
probable  Guy  Faux. 

There  is  always  one  drawback  on  precaution,  —  that  it  cuts  off  the  very 
evidence  that  should  justify  it.  The  patrol  of  1840  were  subject  to  this  in- 
convenience. 

Only  one  arrest  was  made.  It  was  of  a  man  who  at  a  very  early  hour  of 
the  morning  was  detected  carrying  incendiary  material  toward  the  college. 
He  was  seized  with  his  lantern  and  his  various  pyrotechnics,  carried  to 
the  Court  House,  and  subjected  to  severe  examination.  He  proved  to  be  a 
professional  incendiary,  /.  £.,  a  fire  maker  in  the  college.  His  trial,  though 
in  a  measure  pro  forma,  gave  an  aspect  of  efficiency  to  the  patrol,  and  added 
to  its  moral  strength.  The  dullest  intellect  perceived  what  might  have  oc- 
curred, had  the  prisoner  been  one  of  the  real  confederates,  and  had  no  patrol 
existed  to  arrest  his  deadly  career. 

No  monument  or  inscription  commemorates  the  services  of  that  time,  not 
even  a  bronze  extinguisher  of  minute  size. 

Among  the  members  of  the  patrol,  rheumatism,  cough,  and  catarrh  may 
have  done  their  work,  but  no  voice  has  proclaimed  the  fact.  Wide  awake 
beneficence  disdains  to  stir  sleeping  gratitude,  but  any  member  of  the  patrol 
may  proudly  say,  pointing  to  the  unconsumed  town,  Circumspice. 

In  1841,  the  old  Court  House  was  sold,  and  was  removed  back  to  the 
west  side  of  the  present  Palmer  Street.  Here  it  was  at  first  used  for  a 
billiard  room  and  bowling  alley  ;  next  for  a  gymnasium  and  fencing  school, 
then  (on  the  lower  floor,  —  having  been  changed  to  a  two-story  building)  for 
furniture  —  then  on  the  same  floor  for  hardware.  It  was  removed  within  a 
year  or  two  to  the  west  side  of  Palmer  Street,  and  made  to  adjoin  Whitney's 
Block,  with  which  it  communicates.  The  lower  floor  is  at  present  occu- 
pied by  a  "Holly  Tree  Coffee  Shop,"  the  upper  by  the  Social  Union,  kindly 
and  wisely  conducted  by  those  to  whose  modest  merit  we  pay  the  unusual 
compliment  of  omitting  their  names. 


THE    LAMENT   OF   THE   WEATHERCOCK   OF    1776. 

"  Carmina  jam  moriens  canit  exequialia  [g-alhis]."  —  OVID,  Met.  XIV.  430. 

"  He  makes  a  swan-like  end, 
Fading  in  music." — SHAKESPEARE. 

AT  midnight's  solemn  hour  I  woke ;  — 

The  moon  all  brightly  shone ; 
I  rose,  and  donned  my  old  plaid  cloak, 

And  wandered  forth  alone. 

The  air  was  still,  —  no  sound  nor  noise, — 

The  air  all  silent,  too  ; 
When  an  unearthly,  piercing  voice 

Cried,  "  Cock-a-doodle-doo  !  " 

I  started,  and  my  knees  did  knock 

Together,  in  my  fear, 
For  't  was  the  ancient  weathercock 

That  startled  thus  my  ear. 

Thrice  did  he  flap  his  wings,  and  crow, 

Ere  he  the  words  could  bring  ; 
Then,  as  I  trembling  stood  below, 

'T  was  thus  I  heard  him  sing  :  — 

"  Farewell  to  thee,  old  Cambridge  !     Farewell  to  each  and  all  ! 
I  'm  doomed  to  an  ignoble  fate,  and  an  untimely  fall. 
Farewell,  my  pleasant-  airy  home  !  my  heart  is  big  with  sorrow, 
To  think,  thou  dear  old  steeple  !  that  we  must  part  to-morrow. 
And  the  people  that  once  loved  us  must  also  from  us  part ;  — 
They  've  built  a  grand  new  church  and  spire,  surmounted  by  a  dart 
That  gaudy,  glittering  arrow,  that  I  can  plainly  see, 
Is  ever  striving  with  the  wind,  to  aim  itself  at  me. 

"  Farewell  to  thee,  old  Harvard  !     Peace  be  within  thy  walls  ! 
Sound  learning  and  true  wisdom  aye  flourish  in  thy  halls  ! 
No  more  may  I  behold  thy  courts  and  corners  all  alive 
With  little  black-coats,  buzzing  round,  like  bees  about  a  hive ; 


n6  The  Lament  of  the   Weathercock  of  1776. 

No. more  may  I  behold  their  troops  in  mock  militia  muster, 
Nor  see  them  on  the  parting  day  around  the  old  elm  cluster. 
The  last  Commencement  Day,  it  was  a  bitter  day  to  me, 
For  I  felt  that  it  must  be  the  last  I  evermore  should  see ; 
And  my  old  friend,  the  Phi  Beta  !  I  can  scarce  restrain  my  tears, 
For  the  music  of  thy  last  sweet  song  is  ringing  in  my  ears. 

"  Alas  !  the  meeting-house  and  I  have  doubtless  had  our  day ; 
And  the  spoiler  comes  to-morrow  to  take  us  both  away. 
But  we  '11  not  depart  in  anger,  nor  will  I  much  repine 
That  this  exalted  station  can  be  no  longer  mine. 
My  conscience  bears  me  witness,  that  ever,  from  my  youth, 
I  've  lived  an  upright  weathercock,  and  always  told  the  truth. 
My  life  has  been  a  long,  and  I  hope  a  useful  one  ; 
And  now  I  droop  my  crest,  and  am  ready  to  be  gone." 

Thrice  did  he  flap  his  wings,  and  crow, 

When  he  his  song  had  done ; 
Then,  wondering,  homewards  did  I  go, 

Just  as  the  clock  struck  one. 
December  22,  1833. 

These  lines  were  written  by  Mrs.  Charles  Folsom,  when  the  old  meeting-house  was  taken  down. 
The  "  last  sweet  song,"  mentioned  in  the  sixth  stanza,  was  Mr.  Longfellow's  Phi  Beta  Kappa  poem.  — 
ED. 


PRAISE   OF   THE   PAST. 

BY  GEORGE   PARSONS   LATHROP. 

OF  ancient  days  how  manifold 
The  harvests  here  around  us  grown  ! 
What  fruits  we  hold,  by  valiant-souled 
And  simple  farmer-heroes  sown  ! 

They,  while  they  learned  the  bullet's  creed 
No  less  in  solemn  worship  kneeled ; 

By  faith  and  deed  they  spread  the  seed 
Of  peace  and  strength  in  every  field  ;  — 

And  ours  the  rich  maturity, 

While  over  us,  afar  and  near, 
That  broad-arched  tree,  the  century, 

Spreads  wide  its  branches,  each  a  year  ! 

Ah  well,  how  swiftly  things  disperse  :' 
In  how  much  changed  are  place  and  time  ! 

For  poets  rehearse  their  dulcet  verse 

Where  patriot-spurs  once  clinked  in  rhyme ; 

The  city  spreads  its  ravages  ; 

The  grace  of  older  growth  is  fled : 
Hills  bow  their  knees,  prone  lie  the  trees, 

Faith,  too,  they  say,  is  long  since  dead. 

Yet  with  our  fathers  we  are  one 
At  heart,  whatever  change  betide, 

Still  shines  for  us  their  tireless  sun  : 
Their  truth  still  waits  us  for  our  guide. 

And  we,  though  larger  grows  the  scope 
Of  vision,  now,  toward  God  and  man, 

From  broader  hope  gaze  back  Time's  slope 
To  praise  their  virtue's  narrower  plan. 


Praise  of  the  Past. 

Oh,  when  our  crumbling  lives  have  gone, 

Shall  others  unto  us  look  back 
O'er  deeps  that  yawn,  and  see  our  dawn 

Glow  pure  behind  their  devious  track  ? 

Who  knows  ?    We  live  in  veering  days. 

Yet  o'er  all  fame  our  deeds  may  hold, 
Fair  shines  this  praise,  this  record  stays :  — 

WE  DID  NOT  LET  THE  PAST  GROW  OLD  ! 


A    PARTIAL    LIST  OF    AUTHORITIES    CONSULTED    IN  PRE- 
PARING THIS  BOOK. 


Colburn.     Bibliography  of  the  Local  History  of  Massachusetts. 

Palfrey.     History  of  New  England. 

Ihd'bard.     History  of  New  England. 

Holmes.     History  of  Cambridge. 

Wood.     New  England's  Prospect. 

Dudley.     Letter  to  the  Countess  of  Lincoln. 

Mather.     Magnalia. 

Johnson.     Wonder- Working  Providence  in  New  England. 

Prince.     New  England  Chronology. 

Winlhrop.     History  of  New  England. 

Newell.     Discourse  on  the  Cambridge  Church  Gathering  in  1636. 

Lives  of  the  Chief  Fathers  of  New  England,  vol.  vi.     The  Life  of  Thos.  Hooker, 

by  Edw.  W.  Hooker,  vol.  iv. 
The  Life  of  Thos.  Shepard,  by  John  A.  Albro. 
Hudson.  —  History  of  Lexington. 
Jackson.     History  of  Newton. 
Bond.     Genealogies  and  History  of  Watertown. 
Nason.     Gazetteer  of  Massachusetts. 
John  Dunton.     Letters  from  New  England. 
Ihitchimon.     History  of  Massachusetts. 
Barry.     History  of  Massachusetts. 
Drake.     Historic  Fields  and  Mansions  of  Middlesex. 
Drake.     Old  Landmarks  and  Historical  Personages  of  Boston. 
Hoppin.     Historical  Notice  of  Christ  Church. 
Clarke  and  Force.     American   Archives. 
Journals  of  each  Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts  in   1774  and   1775,  and  of 

the  Committee  of  Safety. 
Frothingham.     Siege  of  Boston. 
Records  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay  Colony. 
Town  Records  of  Cambridge. 
Bancroft.     History  of  United  States. 
Frost.     Pictorial  History  of  United  States. 
Willard.     Republic  of  America. 
Marshall.     Life  of  Washington. 
Sparks.     Writings  of  Washington. 


I2o  Partial  List  of  Authorities. 

Quincy.     History  of  Harvard  College. 

S.  A,  Eliot.     History  of  Harvard  College. 

Griswold.     The  Republican  Court. 

Sabine.     Loyalists  of  the  American  Revolution. 

Amory.     Old  Cambridge  and  New. 

Simpson.     Two  Hundred  Years  Ago. 

Letters  of  John  Adams. 

Letters  of  Mrs.  Adams. 

Homes  of  American  Authors. 

Madame  Riedesel's  Memoir  and  Letters. 

McKenzie.     History  of  the  First  Church  of  Cambridge. 

McKenzie.     Washington  in  Cambridge,  "  Atlantic  Monthly,"  July,  1875 

McKenzie.     Memorial  Address  on  Cambridge  Men  who  fell  at  Lexington. 

Tracy.     Great  Awakening. 

Wells.     Life  and  Public  Services  of  Samuel  Adams. 
Duyckinck.     National  Portrait  Gallery  of  Eminent  Americans. 
Dawson.     Correspondence  on  the  Character  of  General  Israel  Putnam. 

Dawson.     Diary  of  David  Howe. 

Pkelps.     History  of  Newgate  of  Connecticut. 

Citrwen.     Journal  and  Letters. 

Parton.     Life  of  Aaron  Burr. 

Trumbull.     Reminiscences  of  His  Own  Times. 

Bridgman.     Epitaphs  from  Copp's  Hill  Burying  Ground,  Boston. 

Harris.     Epitaphs  from  the  Old  Burying  Ground,  Cambridge. 

Peabody.     Centennial  Address  at  Cambridge,  July  3,  1875. 

Hawthorne.     Twice-told  Tales. 

Hale.     One  Hundred  Years  Ago, 

Clarke  and  Vaille.     Tiie  Harvard  Book. 

Washbnrn.     Judicial  History  of  Massachusetts. 

Greene.     Life  of  Nathanael  Greene. 

Sibley.     Biographical  Sketches  of  Graduates  of  Harvard  University. 

Sibley.     Manuscript  Collections. 


INDEX. 


ADAMS,  John,  32,  61,  88. 
Adams,  John,  his  hopes,  15. 
Adams,  John,  in  Cambridge,  53. 
Adams,  Mrs.  John,  in  Cambridge,  42. 
Adams,  Samuel,  23,  33,  54. 
Amen,  Dr.  Appleton's,  31. 
Ammunition,  The  lack  of,  12,  26,  27. 
Appleton,  Rev.  Dr.,  3 1,  49,  59,  62,  72,  80. 
Apthorp,  The  Rev.  East,  10,  50,  51. 
Apthorp  house,  21,  50. 
Apthorp,  Mad.  Grizzel,  51. 
Army,  The  New  Continental,  51. 
Arnold,  Benedict,  37,  55. 
Authorities,  List  of,  119. 

I'atclielder  house,  see  (Henry)  Vassall  house. 

Belcher,  Jonathan,  95,  97 ;  Arms,  95. 

Belknap,  Dr.  Jeremy,  39,  91. 

Bigelow,  Rev.  Jacob,  106. 

Borland  house,  see  Apthorp  house. 

Boston,  becomes  the  Capital,  24;    besieged,  26. 

distress  in,  21  ;  evacuated,  59. 
Bradish  Tavern,  18,  75,  in. 
Brattle  Arms,  The,  90. 
Brattle  grounds,  75. 
Brattle  house,  35. 
Brattle's  Mall,  43. 
Brewster  house,  see  Sewa.ll  House. 
British  fleet  leaves  Boston,  81. 
Bunker  Hill, "13,  24,  29. 
Burgoyne,  Gen.,  23. 
Burr,  Aaron,  28,  33,  37. 
Butler's  (Dana)  Hill,  31,  74. 
Byles,  Mather,  70. 

Caghnawaga  Indians  in  Cambridge,  53. 
Ca'.ef,  Robert,  his  book  burned,  48. 
Cambridge  commerce,  28. 

Cambridge,   its  influence   in    1776,    12  ;  its   terri- 
tory, 5  ;  sketch  of,  3. 
Camp  diet  in  Cambridge,  58. 


Canada,  expedition  to,  36,  55. 

Caner,  Dr.,  51,  65. 

Charles  river  in  June,  1 10. 

Chauncy,  President  Charles,  35,  46. 

Christ  Church,  n,  29,  49. 

Church,  Benj.,  37,  80,   101 ;  condemned,  40 ;  his 

traitorous  correspondence,  37. 
Church  Row,  77. 
Clergy,  The,  14. 
Clinton,  Gen.,  23. 
Cobble  Hill,  now  Somerville,  41. 
Cold,  in  the  church,  57. 
Colonies,  The  thirteen,  51. 
"  Common  Sense,"  54. 

Congratulations  addressed  to  Washington,  61,  62. 
Congress,  The  first  provincial,  10. 
Copp's  Hill,  66,  70. 

Correspondence,  Epistolary,  decaying,  36. 
Court  House,  The,  72,  m. 
Cragie,  Andrew,  101. 
Cragie  house,  see(jfoAn)  Vassall  house. 
Crime  in  camp,  43. 

Dana  Hill  (Butler's  Hill),  31. 
Dana  house,  74. 

Dankers  and  Sleyter  visit  Harvard,  47. 
Declaration  of  Independence  anticipated  in  Cam- 
bridge, 80. 

Donnison,  Miss,  106. 
Dorchester  Heights  occupied,  59. 
"Dorothy  Q,"  32,  84. 
Downing,  George,  44. 
Dudley,  Dorothy,  her  diary,  18. 
Dudley,  Thomas,  13. 

Dunster  house,  75.  « 

Dunster,  Rev.  Henry,  45. 

Eaton,  Nathaniel,  45. 
Edwards,  Timothy,  32. 
Eliot,  John,  8. 
Elm,  The  Washington,  16,  26. 


Index. 


122 

Episcopacy  in  Cambridge,  9. 
Evacuation  of  Boston,  69,  83. 

Faculty  of  Harvard  organized,  48. 

Fast  Day,  27,  59. 

Fayerweather  house,  see  Ruggles  house. 

Faneuil  Hall,  65 ;  used  as  a  theatre,  53- 

Fires  in  Cambridge,  113- 

Flag,  The  Union,  51. 

Fleet,  The  British,  sails  from  Boston,  'n 

Fort  Number  One,  75. 

Franklin,  Benjamin,  23,  37,  4°)  54)  91- 

Frizzle,  John,  97. 

Frost,  Mr.,  77. 

Gage,  Gen.,  w,  21,  22,  37. 
Gale,  Theophilus,  46. 
Gates,  Gen.  Horatio,  26. 
Gates,  Mr.,  49. 

General  Court  in  Cambridge,  9. 
Green  Dragon  Tavern,  65. 
Greene,  Gardner,  64. 
Greene,  Gen.,  40,  52,  67,  90. 
Guests  at  Head-Quarters,  The,  89. 

Hancock  house,  Boston,  64. 
Hancock,  John,  23,  32,  50,  52,  84,  107. 
Hancock,  Mrs.  Dorothy,  32. 
Hancock,  Mrs.  Lydia,  32. 
Harvard  College,  7,  14,   15,  29  5  removed  to  Con- 
cord, 20 ;  sketch  of,  44,  48- 
Harvard  College,  its  buildings,  72,  76. 
Harvard  Hall,  burned,  48. 
Haskins,  D.  G-,  Jr.,  3- 
Hastings  house,  20. 
Haynes,  John,  4. 

Head-quarters,  see  (John)  V assail  house,  7. 
Heath,  Gen.,  60. 
Hessians,  to  be  hired,  52. 

Hicks,  John,  19. 

Hoar,  Leonard,  President,  46. 

Hobgoblin  Hall,  Medford,  42. 

Holly  Tree  Coffee  Shop,  114- 

Holmes  house,  see  Hastings  house. 

Holmes,  John,  in. 

Holmes,  O.  W.,  no. 

Holyoke,  Edward,  48. 

Hooker,  Rev.  Thomas,  4. 

Howe,  Gen.,  23,  37,  41,  52,  59,  60,  83. 

Hutchinson,  Mrs.  Anne,  5. 

Hutchinson,  Thomas,  66. 

Independence  declared,  87. 
Inman  house,  31,  74,  75. 
In  man,  Ralph,  74. 

Jackson,  Edmund,  84. 


ail,  The,  75. 
efferson,  Thomas,  87. 

Cing's  Chapel,  65. 
Cnox,  Gen.  H.,  68. 

angdon,  Samuel,  15,  23,  48,  57.  82. 
.echmere's  Point,  40,  58. 
..echmere,  Richard,  50,  78. 
.ee,  Charles,  26,  421  89. 

ee  house,  78. 
Lee,  Judge  Joseph,  3 1,  50. 

,ee,  Richard  Henry,  87. 
^everett,  John,  48. 
_exington,  28. 

exington,  The  Battle  of,  from  a  British  point  of 

view,  103. 

iberty  Tree,  Boston,  63. 

.incoln,  Benjamin,  81. 
Livingston,  Robert,  37. 

,ocke,  Samuel,  48. 

Longfellow  house,  see  (John)  Vassall  house. 
Longfellow,  H.  W.,  31,  66,  100. 
Lowell  house,  see  Oliver  house. 
Lowell,  J.  R.,  no. 

Manifesto  of  Congress,  17,  27. 

Manly,  Capt.,  captures  the  Nancy,  42. 

Marcy,  William,  19. 

Mather,  Cotton,  44,  66. 

Mather,  Rev.  Increase,  461  66. 

Menotomy  Road,  3,  77- 

Mifflin,  Major  Thomas,  26,  35,  4°,  42,  53,  9°. 

Montgomery,  Gen.  Richard,  37,  55- 

Mugford,  Capt.,  80. 

Murray,  Elizabeth,  74. 

Murray,  James,  74. 

Newe  Towne,  the  first  name  of  Cambridge,  3,  94- 
Nichols  house,  see  Lee  house. 
Noble,  Rev.  Mr.,  of  Newburyport,  preaches,  57. 
North  Church,  Boston,  47,  65. 

Old  President's  house,  see  Wadsworth  house. 

Old  South  Church,  63. 

Oliver  house,  25,  79. 

Oliver,  Thomas  (Lt.  Gov.),4°,  5°- 

Otis,  James,  48. 

Paige,  Rev.  Lucius  R.,  in. 

Paine,  Thomas,  54- 

Patriotic  resolution  passed  in  Cambridge,  So. 

Patrol  of  citizens,  1 13- 

Peabody,  The  Rev.  A.  P.,  12. 

Pemberton  Hill,  Boston,  63. 

Percy,  Lord,  18. 

Phipps  house,  21,  25,  3 ')  75- 


Index. 


123 


Phipps,  Lt.  Gov.,  99. 

Pitcairn,  Maj.,  36,  103. 

Powder,  Want  of,  31. 

Praise  of  the  Past,  115. 

Prescott,  Col.,  23,  29,  112, 

Printing-press,  The  first,  7. 

Province  House,  The,  63. 

Putnam,  Gen.  Israel,  22,  26,  41,  42,  52,  69,  90. 

Quebec  attacked,  55. 

Quincy,  Dorothy,  32. 

Quincy,  Edmund,  50,  84  ;  Letters  of,  106,  107. 

Quincy,  Katy,  67,  84,  86,  107. 

Richardson,  Moses,  29,  77. 
Riedesel  house,  see  Setoa.ll  house. 
Riverside  Press,  75.- 
Recruiting  in  Cambridge,  41. 
Regicides,  The,  in  Cambridge,  9. 
Reed,  Col.  Joseph,  26,  46,  90. 
Remington,  Judge,  97. 
Revere,  Paul,  63,  65,  66. 
Koyall,  Isaac,  42,  99. 
Ruggles,  George,  31. 
Ruggles  house,  25,  31,  79. 
Rules  of  Harvard,  46. 
Rush,  Benjamin,  54. 
Russell,  Catherine  G.  99. 

Sibley,  Rev.  John  Langdon,  his  Sketches  of  Har- 
vard Graduates,  45,  95. 
Simsbury,  Conn.,  43. 

Serjeant,  The  Rev.  Winwood,  20,  31,  50,  77. 
Sewall  house,  31,  50,  78. 
Sewall,  Jonathan,  31,  50,  72. 
Shaw,  Chief  Justice,  112. 
Shepard  Memorial  Church,  46. 
Shepard,  Rev.  Thomas,  5,  46. 
Small-pox  in  Boston,  60. 
Social  Union,  The,  114. 
Soden  Farm,  27. 
"  Spada,"  Gen.  Lee's  dog,  42. 
Sparks,  William  Eliot,  103. 
Sparks,  Mrs.  M.  C.,  105. 
Stark,  Gen.,  21,  68. 
St.  Patrick's  Day,  83. 
Stone,  Rev.  Samuel,  4. 
Students  return  from  Concord,  8». 


Sullivan,  Gen.,  56,  61,  68. 
Synod  of  1646,  at  Cambridge,  8. 

Tea,  not  used,  67. 

Temple,  Robert,  50. 

Ten  Hills  Farm,  Somerville,  50. 

Thomas,  Gen.,  53. 

Thompson,  Capt,  18. 

Thompson,  Col.,  40. 

Ticonderoga,  22. 

Tobacco  smoking  at  Harvard,  47. 

Tories  in  Cambridge,  17,  21. 

Tory  families,  and  their  rela.ionships,  50. 

Tory  Row,  77. 

Tnimbull,  Major  John,  26. 

Vassall,  Henry,  99. 

Vassall   house   (Henry),  21,  25,   31,   34,  39,   75, 

77,  93- 

Vassall  house  (John),  31,  55,  77,  89. 
Vassall,  Col.  John,  89,  98. 
Vassal!,  Tony,  77,  100. 
Visit,  a,  to  Boston,  62. 

Wadsworth,  Benjamin,  48. 

Wadsworth  house,  16,  74. 

Waldo,  Cornelius,  78. 

Waldo,  Daniel,  78. 

Watertown  Road,  93. 

Walton,  Capt.,  77. 

Ward,  Gen.  Artemas,  26,  50,  62. 

Warren,  Gen.  Joseph,  19,  22,  24. 

Washington,  Gen.  George,  u,  15,  25,  53,  61,  62; 
forbids  games  of  chance,  57 ;  his  habits,  92  ;  his 
exactness  in  accounts,  56;  original  letter  of,  56; 
in  Christ  Church,  49;  thanked  by  Congress,  83. 

Washington,  Mrs.  Martha,  55 ;  her  levee,  69. 

Wells  house,  see  Ruggles  house. 

West  End,  The,  of  Cambridge,  93. 

Whitefield  Elm,  76. 

Whitefield,  The  Rev.  George,  in  Cambridge,  79. 

Wigg'esworth  bouse,  73,  74 

Windmill  Hill,  94. 

Winthrop.  Gov.,  3,  45. 

Winthrop  house,  see  Phipps  Jtoust. 

Winthrop,  Mrs.  Dr.,  29. 

Woodbridge,  Rev.  B.,  44. 


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All  other  deposits  will  draw  inter- 
est at  the  rate  of 

FIVE  PEE  CENT. 

lor  every  full  calendar  month 
they  remain  in  bank. 

This  is  the  only  Savings  Bank 
in  the  State  that  pays 

Interest  on  Deposits  for  every 
full  month, 

And  the  only  Savings  Institution 
that  has 

A  Paid-up  Guarantee  Fund  of 
$205,000 

L  For  the  protection  of  its  deposit- 
ors. Deposits  commence  drawing 
interest  on 

The  first  day  of  each  month. 

The   deposits  now  remaining  in 
bank  exceed 

$4,7OO,OOO. 

LYMAN   S.  HAPGOOD, 

President. 
ANSON  J.  STONE,   Treasurer. 

FREDERIC  H.  HENSHAW, 
Assist.  Treas. 


L.  PRANG  AND  COMPANY, 
ART   AND    EDUCATIONAL    PUBLISHERS, 

Have  in  Press  : 


THE  THEORY   OF  COLOR,  IN    ITS  RELATION  TO  ART  AND  ART-INDUSTRY. 
By  DR.  W.  VON  BEZOLD,  of  Munich.    T 
Introduction  and  Notes  by  Prof.  Edw.  ( 
lithographic  Plates  and  Wood-cuts.     8vo. 


By  DR.  W.  VON  BEZOLD,  of  Munich.     Translated  by  S.  K.  Koehler.     With  an 
Introduction  and  Notes  by  Prof.  Edw.   C.   Pickering.     Illustrated  by  Chromo- 


L.  PRANG  AND  COMPANY  also  publish: 

THE  AMERICAN  TEXT-BOOKS  OF  ART  EDUCATION.  Prepared  by  PROF. 
WALTER  SMITH,  General  Supervisor  of  Drawing  in  the  Boston  Public  Schools, 
and  State  Director  of  Art-'Education  for  Massachusetts. 

Professor  Walter  Smith's  Text-Books  have  been  introduced  into  nearly  all  the 
large  cities  of  the  United  States,  and  the  success  which  has  attended  their  use  in 
the.  Public  Schools  of  Massachusetts  is  the  best  proof  of  their  intrinsic  value. 

3^=  Circulars,  containing  full  information,  -will  be  sent  gratis  to  any  address,  on 
application. 

WATER-COLOR  STUDIES,  after  originals  by  C.  RYAN.  Selected  by  Prof.  Walter 
Smith,  and  in  use  in  the  Massachusetts  State  Normal  Art  School.  12  Plates 
varying  in  price  from  $1.50  to  $6.00  each. 

PLANT  FORMS  ORNAMENTALLY  TREATED  Designed  by  Miss  GRACE  CARTER, 
of  the  South  Kensington  Art  School,  under  the  superintendence  of  Prof.  Walter 
Smith.  10  folio  plates.  Price  $20.00. 

PARALLEL  OF  HISTORICAL  ORNAMENT  A  selection  of  prominent  and  char- 
acteristic examples  in  the  different  styles,  arranged  so  as  to  present,  both  in  form 
and  color,  a  comparative  view  of  their  principal  features.  Prepared  by  KARL  F. 
HEINZEN,  under  the  superintendence  of  Prof.  Wm.  R.  Ware.  10  folio  plates. 
Price  $15.00. 

INDUSTRIAL  DRAWING  COPIES  FOR  MECHANICS  AND  STUDENTS  IN  INDUS- 
TRIAL EVENING  SCHOOLS.  Prepared  by  JAS.  E.  STONE,  under  the  superintend- 
ence of  Professor  Walter  Smith.  24  large  folio  plates.  Price  $6.00. 


PRANG'S  AMERICAN    CHROMOS- 

These  chromolithographic  reproductions  of  Oil  and  Water-color  Paintings  are 
acknowledged  to  be  the  best  anywhere  made,  even  in  Europe,  a  fact  which  is  attested 
by  their  _  .  .  .. 

Constantly  Increasing  Sale  in  Europe. 

Illnsira'cd  Catalogues  mailed  gratis  to  any  address.     Apply  to 

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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY,  LOS  ANGELES 

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This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


Book  Slip-25m-9,'59(A4772s4)4280 


